Donald Miller (1941 – October 14, 2015) was an American serial killer who committed eight attacks on gay men in Los Angeles, California, from 1980 to 1981, four of which resulted in fatalities. He was convicted and sentenced to death for these killings in 1983, but died awaiting execution in 2005.
Just a year after his death, Miller was linked via DNA to the 1977 murder of a woman. Despite this, his guilt in the other murders has since come into question.
Early life and crimes
Very little is known about the early years of Miller's life. He was born in 1941 in Los Angeles in a family with several other brothers and sisters. He grew up in Compton, where he attended the local high school. Despite the fact that his father left the family in 1952 and the family subsequently experienced financial difficulties, Miller did well in school and at the time did not exhibit any aggressive behavior.
After graduation, Miller learned a number of specialties in construction and manufacturing, but soon turned to stealing, for which he was convicted in 1962. In the 1970s, Miller began to show signs of mental illness and started to become more aggressive towards women.
Initial attacks
In April 1975, Miller picked up an underage hitchhiker named Bettina Grodman in Los Angeles, introducing himself as "Robert". During the trip, Grodman asked him to drive her home, but Miller refused and instead threatened to harm her. For four hours, he drove around aimlessly through the streets of Los Angeles, after which he took Grodman to his home, where he raped her. At one point, when Grodman screamed, Miller began choking her and threatened to kill her, but later let her go. Grodman immediately went to the police and testified against Miller, who was arrested. He cooperated with police and accepted a plea deal, and because Grodman had previously been involved in prostitution, the rape charge was dropped and replaced with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
In March 1979, Miller was arrested on charges of attempted assault against his co-worker, John Harmon. Harmon claimed that he got into an altercation with Miller at the railroad station where they worked at. On the day of the incident, Miller provoked him in every way possible and spray painted his arm, and when Harman started getting angry, Miller threw a cup of hot coffee in his face and a fight ensued. Harman claimed that after their shift had ended, Miller chased him in his automobile and threatened to kill him by waving a piece of steel pipe, but the case never went to trial.
In August, Miller brutally beat Linda Lee in the freight elevator of a downtown Los Angeles hotel where she was staying. During the attack, Lee suffered a broken jaw in two places, a fractured ankle, and lacerations above her ear and eye that required twelve stitches. Lee lost consciousness during the attack and also dislocated her wrist in the fall. She was hospitalized for thirteen days and underwent several surgeries, but could not identify her assailant until after Miller's 1981 arrest.
Characterization
In the late 1970s, Miller found work as a welder for the Southern Pacific Railroad, where he worked until his arrest. He was unmarried and was seen visiting gay bars located throughout the Los Angeles area, but claimed that he was not bisexual.
Acquaintances and relatives had mixed emotions regarding Miller. His mother, brothers and sisters stated that he maintained close ties with them and was never violent. Several of his acquaintances and co-workers stated after his arrest that he never showed signs of antisocial behavior, but also noted that he had no close friends, did not maintain trusting relationships with them, and liked to keep to himself.
Murders
From July 1980 to February 1981, Miller perpetrated at least eight attacks on gay men, all but one of which occurred in the western part of Hollywood on weekends or holidays. Each attack happened at midnight near roads or dark alleys, after most of the victims had left gay bars.