Donald Miller

Donald Miller (1941 – October 14, 2005) was an American serial killer who murdered one woman and later four gay men in Los Angeles County, California, from 1977 to 1981. He was convicted and sentenced to death for four of these killings in 1983, but died awaiting execution in 2005.

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. 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. Each attack happened at midnight near roads or dark alleys, after most of the victims had left gay bars.

Miller's first fatality was 32-year-old florist Michael Thomas, who was killed in the early morning hours of July 12, 1980. His body was found on a street with severe head injuries, and while he was still alive when located, he succumbed to his injuries at a hospital only hours later. An autopsy determined that Thomas had been struck about 4 times with a heavy blunt object. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was several strikes to the head with a blunt object. At the scene, investigators found bloodstains on the curb and on a telephone pole at the corner of Melrose and Crescent Heights. It was determined that Sanderson managed to walk nearly a block after the attack, bleeding out with a shaky gait, before being discovered by the officer. Police also found several small items at the scene where the attack took place, including a lighter, a small piece of metal and a piece of paper with the license plate number and the words "yellow Ford" written on it. While searching him, the officers found some keys, including a car key - Miller then led them to his car, which was a black Datsun 280Z with silver side moldings and grilles on the rear window, similar to the one seen by Pamela Kobak on the night of Michael Thomas' murder. While examining the interior of the car, police found a piece of metal pipe, at which point Miller was officially arrested and charged with the murders. The key piece of evidence that linked him to the killings was the piece of steel pipe found in his car, but no traces of blood or skin particles were found on it. However, since he was already deceased, he could not be prosecuted for this case.