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Murder trial delayed in Miller case
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Suspect now scheduled to go on trial Jan. 25
The trial for the man accused of killing 23-year-old Crescent City resident Michelle Dickson has been delayed until January. On Thursday, Del Norte Superior Court Judge Robert Wier pushed back Josiah Miller’s Nov. 30 trial date to allow the prosecution enough time to respond to motions filed by the suspect’s attorney, including one requesting a change of venue. A motion hearing has been set for Dec. 15. Judge Wier ordered Miller’s attorney, William Cater, to have all his motions filed by Dec. 3 to allow the Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office time to review the materials.
In addition to the change of venue request, Cater filed a motion in
August to dismiss some of the allegations against his client that were
contained in the murder charge filed against him. That particular count
refers to the commission of an “arson, rape or robbery” during the
course of Dickson’s death, and Cater contends there was no evidence
presented in the preliminary hearing to justify that phrasing.
Miller, 28, is suspected of stabbing Dickson after the two met at a picnic area off Enderts Beach Road on July 15, 2008, for an $800 marijuana transaction. The following day Dickson didn’t show up to work, and her car was found burning near South Beach, not far from the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 101 and Sand Mine Road. A group of hikers discovered her body underneath the 345-foot-tall Thomas Creek Bridge on Hwy. 101 just north of Brooking, Ore. about a week later, and Miller was arrested at his Arcata residence. Miller is originally from Del Norte County and was considered to be a friend of Dickson’s. He pleaded not guilty in June to charges of murder, arson and a special allegation for the use of a deadly weapon. Jury selection in his trial is set for Jan. 25.
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