It began, police say, as a dispute among neighbors in Abilene, Tex. Two families argued about where to dump trash in an adjacent alleyway. Insults escalated to threats, culminating in a vicious assault that has left one man dead and his son in a critical condition fighting for life in a medically induced coma.
Police have arrested the alleged killer, 37-year-old Aaron Howard who has been charged with murder in the death of 67-year-old John Miller, and the attempted murder of his son 31 year old son Michael Miller.
Aaron Howard is no stranger to local law enforcement, who has previously been charged with a string of violent offences, including against his common-law wife Kara Box, who filmed the incident on her cellphone. Facebook posts, which have since been deleted, even show Aaron Howard talking about 'taking medication' and making threats against the mailman and other government employees, in a series of bizarre outbursts which some say give insight into a man who was a ticking timebomb.
The Sept. 1 standoff between the neighbors, which ended in the fatal bashing, was the final argument in a days-long feud over trash disposal, said Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge, speaking at a news conference about an hour after the incident.
“It’s been going on for a couple days, and it culminated in today’s violence,” Standridge said.
John Miller was killed in front of his son, Michael Miller, who himself was set upon after seeing his father bludgeoned to death . The encounter was captured on the cellphone of Howard's wife. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram published the footage on Thursday, which gives a rare glimpse into a deadly dispute and sheds new light on a weeks-old killing.
Reached by phone, the Howard's declined to discuss the incident.
The video, at a little over two and a half minutes unedited, begins with the Millers, both holding cell phones at their sides, staring Howard down, a flipped twin mattress between them. That mattress, Kara told the Star-Telegram, was the conflict’s catalyst.
Howard had thrown the mattress in the dumpster a couple days earlier, he said. But on Sept. 1, they saw the mattress back on their property. So Howard moved it back to the dumpster. Kara said Howard’s nieces, nephews and brothers were with them, too. She told the paper that she saw the father, John Miller, walk to the dumpster, pull the mattress out and toss it back on Howard’s property.
That’s when, Kara said, Howard and Miller started shouting at each other and Aaron Howard pulled a baseball bat out of his pickup, she said, at which point, Michael arrived to support his father. Howard's wife started recording the altercation on her phone. “Oh yeah, you’re going to jail,” Miller Senior can be heard saying in the video. “Nah I’m not,” Howard replies. He’s holding his baseball bat at his side. “Back off ... If you come closer to me, I’m gonna call the police,” John Miller says calmly, holding his cell phone at the ready. “Hey, you hear him say he’s gonna call the cops on me?” Howards asks his wife, before turning back to John Miller.
The men begin trading insults, their voices get louder. Howard tells the Millers, “You’re dead. I promise you, you’re both dead . . . I’m gonna kill you.” Howard continues to berate the Miller's, with a series of homophobic slurs and continued threats of vioence against both men. Michael Miller then interrupts and advises, “If you’re gonna show this video to the cops, you might as well stop yelling that you’re gonna kill us.” Howard responds that he doesn’t care and repeats his threat.
Gabriel Sanchez
“If you come within three foot of me, I’m gonna call the police,” John Miller says. “You’re not going to call the police on my husband,” Howard's wife Kara responds.
A couple of seconds later, a thud can be heard and we briefly see Aaron Howard launch the baseball bat at John Miller, striking him on the right side of his head, and the camera moves wildly. Then John Miller is seen falling to the ground with a large gash on his head. It's unclear if he is still conscious or not. At this point, with his son Michael frantically dialing his phone and pleading with the man to stop, Aaron Howard quickly retrieves the baseball bat and then proceeds to viciously strike the motionless John Miller laying in the dirt approxiamttely three times, directly on the back of Mr Miller's head. “Dad? Dad? No! No!” Michael screams. Michael Miller throws his phone and bravely tackles Howard and attempts to wrestle the weapon away. He is no match however for the 6'7" Howard and is easily owerpowered and thrown to the ground next to his father, who no longer appears breathing. Aaron Howard, bat in hand, now continues his beating on Michael, who goes into a foetal position and in between strikes on his back and upper torso, is struck on the left side of his face and begins to have a seizure. The assault culminates in Aaron Howard stomping both men on the ground while making more homophobic slurs.
Noah Jones
John Miller and Michael Miller had been struck several times , said Standridge, the police chief. At the news conference, Standridge didn’t disclose where on his body John Miller had been struck, but said he died after being transported to the hospital.
Michael Miller is currently fighting for life in Abilene Regional Medical Center, with doctors saying the outcome, if he does survive the next 48 hrs, will likely be grim. 'The extent of the swelling to Mr Millers brain is extensive and that, coupled with a number of shattered veterbrae, means the likeliehood that Mr Miller will ever walk or feed himself unaided are slim' said one Doctor who wished to remain anonymous.
The investigation is ongoing, chief Standridge said.
On Thursday, Aaron Howard said he didn't want to talk about that day or the charges against him. “I really don’t have a comment one way or the other,” Aaron Howard told The Washington Post. “This is something that I consider a private matter between me and the state of Texas.”
Mr Howard was booked into Taylor County Jail on murder charges, but was released ahead of his court date after he posted a $25,000 bail, the Star-Telegram reported.
Ethan Kelly
Wtf.
Adam Wilson
You're in the wrong timeline dude go back.
Nolan Ward
Tfw...not even a King Size A twin size only deserves a stabbing...at most.
Jayden Brown
You're posting in the timeline where Trump won and guns are still legal. And as it happens, this timeline is full. So fuck off.
Eli Foster
fucking BASED, if I had some money I would donate to you in appreciation of the effort
Parker Evans
wtf is this shit?
Liam Sanchez
Alternate timeline story about what you could expect to happen without guns. Well done,OP. I read all of it.
Henry Russell
finally a good thread, good job op
Joshua Ramirez
waow this is really sad :(((( alexa play sweet little angel by bb king
>not a single link in the entire thread Way to go.
Angel Myers
Why are you shills pushing this story so hard? Seriously, what the fuck? I haven't seen anything about this story anywhere - anywhere except Jow Forums. Nobody cares. So why are you doing it?
Adam Ortiz
>linking alternate timelines
Lucas Powell
you're one of the good ones user, he cute he based he redpilled
Doesn't matter, tallboys make feminists soil their panties with excitement, so even if Aaron murdered the whole neighborhood and devoured babies on video, liberals would still make excuses why everything he did was perfectly fine, or at least the fault of the modern Richard Jewell & son.
Just like rape is perfectly fine when Bill Clinton does it, while Al Franken can't even touch a titty for a joke without being forced to resign. Slick Willie is over six feet tall, Franken is not.
You've still failed to account for the provoking nature by their inital approach while brandishing firearms.
Self defense is nullified under both provocation and if the person was commiting a crime at the time, which brandishing is.
Oliver Wood
>Self defense is nullified under both provocation No it isn't. >and if the person was commiting a crime at the time, which brandishing is. No it isn't.
At least, not in Queensland.
Criminal Code (Qld) s 272
Nathan Hall
Does anyone have the wojak version with a monster?