A Lima man will spend a minimum of 16 years in prison after an Allen County jury found him guilty Thursday of kidnapping and felonious assault. Eric Miller, 66, of Lima, was sentenced to eight years for one count of first-degree felony kidnapping and eight years for one count of second-degree felony felonious assault, handed down by Judge Jeffrey Reed.
The conviction stems from an incident on Nov. 5, where Miller kept the victim in her home office for more than three hours. During this period, Miller reportedly beat the victim with a martial arts staff and subjected her to numerous inappropriate names. A key piece of evidence in the trial was an audio recording Miller himself made of the entire assault.
Earlier in the day Thursday, both the prosecution and defense presented their closing statements. Josh Carp of the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office walked through how both counts had been proven "beyond a reasonable doubt," according to court reports. Carp reportedly replayed audio clips from the assault to refresh the jurors’ memories of what transpired.
The courtroom atmosphere was tense during the audio playback; some jurors reportedly cried, some shook their heads, and all remained attentive. Judge Reed later described the acts detailed in the recording as "one of the worst acts someone could inflict."
After the jury delivered its verdict, both the state and the defense were given an opportunity to address the court. The state suggested a minimum prison sentence of 15 years, a proposal that reportedly upset Miller.
Miller stated that he was "trying to save" the victim and claimed to love her, asserting he "would never hurt her or intend to hurt her." He also contended that "None of my evidence was presented" during the trial.
Judge Reed responded directly to Miller’s claims, stating, "None of the acts on Nov. 5 show love or care." The judge then asked Miller, "If you loved her, why are we here?"
Miller then attempted to explain that he had recorded the assault to prove how the victim had been behaving in the weeks leading up to the incident. Judge Reed highlighted the irony of this, remarking, "That’s the irony of all of this. You taped all this." The judge added that he "can’t think of words to describe how you treated the victim."
Judge Reed observed that Miller showed "no genuine remorse, rather remorse that he was caught." When Miller tried to argue with the judge, he was instructed to sit down. Although Judge Reed made note of Miller’s age, he ultimately decided on a sentence that exceeded the state’s recommendation.
The judge explained his decision by stating that there was no amount of time that would adequately reflect the unique and serious nature of this crime. Upon his expected release from prison, Miller will be subjected to post-release control for a period of up to five years.
