Alec Miller

Three inmates are charged in connection to the death of another Butler County Prison inmate who was convicted of murder — less than a week after he was found guilty in a jury trial.

Qualin A. Davis, 41, Richard A. Bowser II, 23, and William J. Derrick, 42, all of Butler, were charged Wednesday, Jan. 31, in relation to the Nov. 22 death of Alec Miller, 23.

Miller was found dead the morning of Nov. 22 in his Butler County Prison cell. His cause of death was listed as “fentanyl poisoning,” according to a document from the Butler County Coroner’s office. His manner of death was listed as undetermined.

District Attorney Richard Goldinger said in November that the death was under investigation and that he could not immediately comment on the death.

Just days earlier, on Nov. 17, Miller was found guilty of first-degree murder after a four-day jury trial. Miller was convicted of shooting and killing Maximillian W. Halterman, 23, on March 19, 2019, at a home in Oakland Township. Miller was 19 at the time.

Davis was charged with felonies drug delivery resulting in death, five counts of contraband and four counts of drug sales.

Derrick and Bowser were each charged with one felony count of contraband possession.

Jurors deliberated for several hours Nov. 16 and then gathered again Nov. 17 before finding Miller, 23, guilty of first-degree murder. The decision followed a four-day trial, which was attended by his family and Halterman’s.

Miller was scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 5. Butler County Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCune, who presided over the case, set the date after ordering a presentence investigation.

During the trial, prosecutors said Miller went to Halterman’s house in March 2019 and shot him twice, once in the face and again in the neck.

Miller originally was charged with homicide, robbery, burglary, criminal trespass and theft, but McCune dismissed all but the homicide charge on the third day of the trial.

On the final day of the trial, 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.

“I think me coming in the door kind of startled him a little bit” Miller 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.”

This is a developing story. Watch www.butlereagle.com for updates.