Husband Shot by Wife's Internet Lover
The quiet suburban town of Mt. Morris, Michigan, was irrevocably changed in November 1999. Bruce Miller, a local businessman, was found fatally shot at his salvage yard. And while initial investigations pointed towards a botched robbery, a common occurrence in such establishments, as the investigation deepened, a more sinister plot unfolded involving Bruce's wife, a former police officer, and an AOL chatroom.
How It Began
In 1998, Bruce Miller was a two-time divorcée who had opened a salvage yard in Flint, Michigan, as part of his retirement plan. One of his first hires was a charming 26-year-old bookkeeper named Sharee, a single mom. Despite the 20-year age gap between the boss and employee, the couple began dating. By April 1999, Bruce and Sharee were married, blending their families. It was seven months later, in November 1999, that Bruce's brother would find him shot in the office of his salvage yard.
An Online Affair
The heart of the tragic case surrounding the murder of Bruce Miller lies in the complex and dangerous relationship between his wife, Sharee Miller, and former Kansas City police lieutenant, Jerry Cassaday.
Sharee Miller, an ordinary suburban woman with a side hustle as a Mary Kay Cosmetics consultant, found an escape from her marriage in the virtual world. Her online personas included multiple sexually explicit screennames, according to reports.
Bruce and Sharee Miller. Photo Courtesy of Genesee County Sheriff's Office.
This online persona captivated Jerry Cassaday, a man reeling from personal and professional setbacks, including a divorce and fall at his job as a lieutenant in the Kansas City police force that led to a prescription painkiller addiction. Cassaday lost his job and moved to Reno, Nevada where he worked in a casino. Their relationship went from online to real life when Sharee visited Jerry in Reno, under the guise of a Mary Kay business trip.
The Beginning of the Manipulation
After returning home, Sharee painted a harrowing picture of domestic abuse, convincing Cassaday that her life was in danger. She allegedly sent him photographs of fabricated injuries and claimed to be pregnant with his child and then had a miscarriage after being kicked in the stomach by Bruce. Taking the manipulation a step further, she later told him she was pregnant again, this time with twins. Cassady would later receive an email purportedly from Bruce Miller saying he had forced Sharee Miller to get an abortion. These carefully constructed lies, prosecutors argued, were designed to manipulate Cassaday to his breaking point, so he would become her accomplice in murder.
The Murder
Photo Courtesy of Genesee County Sheriff's Office.
Cassaday told his brother, Mike, that he would be leaving town for a few days without elaborating on where he was headed. Bruce Miller was then shot at his salvage yard on Nov. 9, 1999. The shooting was thought to be a botched robbery with no suspects. However, authorities did interrogate John Hutchinson, who worked for Bruce and owed him $2,000. By December of that year, there was no break in the case, and Sharee ended her relationship with Jerry.
The Case
Investigators got a break in the case a few months later when Cassaday died by suicide on Feb. 11, 2000. His family members discovered a briefcase under his bed containing a letter explaining that he had finally realized that Sharee Miller had been lying about Bruce Miller's alleged behavior. The briefcase also contained records of airline flights, hotel rooms, emails, and chat messages between Cassaday and Sharee Miller that seemed to implicate her in plotting the murder of Bruce Miller and Cassady pulling the trigger. The family turned over the evidence to the Genesee County Sheriff's Department. The evidence found in the briefcase by Cassaday's family was enough to implicate and arrest Sharee Miller.
The Trial
Sharee Miller was charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. One of the most contentious legal battles was the admissibility of Jerry Cassaday's suicide note. The defense argued that the note was inadmissible hearsay, violating Sharee Miller's Sixth Amendment right to confront her accuser. However, the prosecution contended that the note was a crucial piece of evidence and should be allowed. Ultimately, the courts ruled in favor of admitting the note, which significantly impacted the trial outcome.
When Sharee Miller stood trial in December 2000, the case gripped the nation. The evidence presented by the prosecution was damning. Emails, internet messages, and witness testimonies painted a clear picture of a calculated murder plot. The trial was a media sensation, marking a watershed moment in the era of internet crime. The reliance on emails, instant messages, and other electronic communications to build a case against Sharee Miller demonstrated the evolving role of technology in the legal system, raising questions about the admissibility of electronic evidence, the preservation of digital data, and the challenges of authenticating online communications.
The jury deliberated for two days before returning a guilty verdict on all charges. The jury convicted Sharee Miller of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and second-degree murder. Her sentence was life in prison, which she is currently serving. In 2016, Sharee admitted to planning her husband's murder by sending a four-page typed letter to Genesee Circuit Court Judge Judith A. Fullerton.
Conclusion
The case of Sharee Miller serves as a chilling reminder of the potential dangers lurking online for all of us, regardless of our age. Their story underscores the importance of critical thinking and skepticism when engaging in online relationships, especially those that quickly become emotionally intense, leading to impaired decision-making and sometimes tragic consequences.
References: Woman Seduces Ex-Cop Through AOL Chat Rooms and Cons Him Into Murdering Her Husband| Convicted killer Sharee Miller admits to planning husband's murder with an online lover|Sharee Miller: An internet black widow's deadly deception
