Texas Father and Son Kill Neighbor on Camera Over Trash Dispute
A 67-year-old man and his 31-year-old son have been charged with murder after shooting their neighbor following an argument over trash.
The incident happened on September 1st in Abilene, TX. Kara Box and her common-law husband Aaron Howard had thrown a twin mattress into a dumpster in the alley a few days prior, but saw the mattress in their backyard on the morning of the 1st. Kara said they put the mattress back into the dumpster, which prompted their neighbor, 67-year-old John Miller, to come out, pull the mattress out and throw it back into Aaron and Kara's backyard. According to Kara, they hadn't spoken to the Millers prior to this encounter.
When Aaron told Miller to put the mattress back into the dumpster, tempers started to rise and Miller pulled a pistol from his shorts. According to Kara, Aaron then went into protective mode as Miller had pulled a gun in the presence of his family,
Aaron goes into pappa bear mode. A man has just pulled a gun on his wife, his brother, his nieces and nephews.
In a video taken by Kara and posted by the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Miller's 31-year-old son Michael joined the dispute carrying a shotgun. The video shows Aaron becoming enraged over the incident and threatening to kill the Millers, to which John Miller responds with his own threat, saying he'll kill Aaron if he comes within 3 feet of him. Aaron's brother retrieved a baseball bat from the house and gave it to Aaron, who began taunting the Millers to shoot him while they dared him to take a swing. John Miller then opened fire on Aaron, shooting twice, followed by Michael taking a shot with his shotgun. According to Buzzfeed News, police say Aaron was shot when he raised the bat and was roughly 7 feet away from the Millers at the time.
Warning: Video contains obscene language and graphic content
Kara told the Telegram that after Aaron was shot, John Miller put his pistol to her head and ordered her to get on the ground as his son did the same with his shotgun to Aaron's brother. Police arrived shortly thereafter as a result of neighbors calling 911. Aaron was transported to a local hospital, but died from his wounds. The Millers were arrested, charged with murder, and released on a $25,000 bond. However, this Friday a district court reviewed the original bonds and called for the Millers to re-arrested and held on $250,000 bonds.
When reached for comment by the Washington Post, John Miller said,
I really don’t have a comment one way or the other. This is something that I consider a private matter between me and the state of Texas.