Case of Interest: People v. Darren Miller

Contact: Paul Durenberger, Supervising Deputy District Attorney,
(916) 874-5235

Jan Scully announced today that her office will oppose the sentence a Superior Court Judge has proposed for defendant Darren Mitchell Miller. Miller is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, May 20, 2005 at 9:00 a.m. in Department 30 of the Sacramento Superior Court. On April 20, 2005, the defendant pled guilty to the charge of driving under the influence of methamphetamine with gross negligence and driving under the influence of methamphetamine and causing great bodily injury, and admitted a prior felony “strike” conviction. The charges carry a maximum possible penalty of 27 year and four months in state prison. At the time of the plea, over the objection of the District Attorney, Judge James P. Henke guaranteed the defendant he would be sentenced to no more than 15 years and four months in state prison, reducing the term by 12 years. The District Attorney objected to this low term offer because of the defendant’s violent criminal history and the egregious facts of the case.

On May 17, 2003, the defendant drove 60 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone on Broadway. He crashed into the rear of the victims’ Honda Civic, which was waiting at the traffic light at the intersection of Riverside and Broadway. The defendant, a two time parolee, was high on methamphetamine at the time. He stated at the hospital that he had closed his eyes prior to entering the intersection. The passenger in the Honda, twenty-six year old Nicole Bull, was killed at the scene, only a few blocks away from her home. The driver of the Honda, Gina Torres, was seriously injured, and required multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy to be able to walk again.

Miller has a criminal record that extends back 25 years, including assault, child abuse, arson, and prison terms for theft and residential burglary.

At the upcoming sentencing hearing, the District Attorney will be urging the Court to rescind its guarantee of a reduced sentence for Miller.