‘Midnight Rider’ Case: Director Randall Miller’s Ask For Leniency Denied By Judge
Midnight Rider director Randall Miller, who had been sentenced on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the on-set death of 27 year-old crew member Sarah Jones, was denied having his supervision removed by the Judge who has been overseeing the case since the beginning of the criminal case. In his decision, dated today, Judge Anthony Harrison stated that to lift the supervision would be contrary to the intended sentence of the court.
Miller’s attorneys argued that it prevented him from extensive travel and has kept him from working. However, today the Judge upheld the original sentence, writing: “For Miller’s sentence to continue to have the meaning both Sarah’s family and the Court intended it have, Miller’s probation must remained supervised.”
Miller’s attorneys argued that California law differs from Georgia law, so in California, Miller is being treated as a parolee and not a probationer. And in that case, his attorneys argued that the restrictions “frustrate the intent of the parties.”
Specifically, Miller argued that the restrictions leave him unemployed and unemployable in the movie industry: “He needs to travel extensively in order to promote his projects and to raise money for new ventures. He needs to travel extensively in order to participate in the production of movies. But under the conditions of his ‘parole’ in California, he can[not] stray more than 50 miles from his house and must return home to meet with his parole officer on short notice and cannot travel any further than 50 miles without prior approval, which is never granted for periods of time longer than two weeks.” Read it here.
Miller’s attorneys and Sarah Jones’ parents Richard and Elizabeth Jones then faced each other in a Jesup, GA court on Feb. 21, four years and one day after the death of their daughter to argue on whether Miller should remain under supervision as part of his previously imposed sentence.
Richard Jones argued: “Four years ago what Mr. Miller did that caused the death of my daughter was egregious and inexcusable” and he told the court that allowing Miller to be released from supervision, and returning to his previous lifestyle of traveling the world, would lighten the message to the industry that this kind of behavior will have consequences.
Today, the judge agreed with that sentiment. Miller pled guilty on March 9, 2016 to criminal trespass and involuntary manslaughter in the death of the young, camera assistant. He was to serve out his sentence in the Wayne County Jail with two years supervised probation.
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