Alec Miller

Jurors deliberated for several hours before finding Alec D. Miller, 23, guilty on Friday, Nov. 17, of first-degree murder.

Miller was accused of shooting and killing Maximillian W. Halterman, 23, on March 19, 2019. Miller was 19 at the time.

Jurors deliberated for several hours Thursday afternoon and resumed shortly after 9 a.m. Friday before reaching a verdict shortly before 9:30 a.m.

A member of Miller’s family gasped and sobbed as the verdict was read. Halterman’s family sat in the front row and didn’t react to the verdict.

Defense attorney Charles Nedz said Miller requested immediate sentencing, but Butler County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCune, who presided over the case, ordered a presentence investigation and set sentencing Dec. 5.

During the four-day trial, prosecutors said Miller went to Halterman’s house in March 2019 and shot him twice.

Miller originally was charged with homicide, robbery, burglary, criminal trespass and theft. McCune dismissed all but the homicide charge on Wednesday, after Miller’s defense attorneys argued there was no evidence Miller broke into Halterman’s home, nor that he stole anything.

Lamaria Franklin, Miller’s former girlfriend, testified that a few weeks before the shooting she had flushed down the toilet between $1,300 and $1,400 worth of cocaine that Halterman had given Miller to sell. Miller said Franklin did that to keep him from using drugs.

On Thursday, Miller testified he’d shot Halterman in self-defense when he went over to Halterman’s house to give him a Savage Axis 7 mm rifle in partial payment for the debt.

Police said Miller stole the rifle from his brother, took his grandfather’s pickup truck and went to Halterman’s house. In his testimony Thursday, Miller said on the night of the shooting, he waited for Halterman to come outside to get the rifle, and when that didn’t happen, he went into Halterman’s home.

“I think me coming in the door kind of startled him a little bit” he said. “He pulled a gun on me, I fired once. He was still moving, I wasn’t sure if I shot him or not, so I pulled a little closer and shot him again.”

Halterman was shot in the face and neck.

During her closing argument, Laura Pitchford, assistant district attorney, disputed Miller’s reasons for the shooting.

“I agree with the defense that the reason Miller went to Halterman’s house that night was to wipe a debt clean,” she said. “But it wasn’t to pay it. It was to wipe it clean execution-style.”

After the verdict was read Friday morning, Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said he was satisfied the jury had carefully considered the evidence.

“I’m glad we were able to get justice for Max Halterman’s family,” he said.