Inset: Miles Otis Miller (Missoula County Jail). Background: The house where Miller killed his mother in Missoula, Mont. (Google Maps).
A Montana man will spend at least several decades behind bars for stabbing his mother to death dozens of times at home.
In September 2025, Miles Otis Miller, 24, was convicted by a jury in Missoula County on one count each of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence over the killing of 68-year-old Taeko "Teri" Miller in May 2023.
On Thursday, he was sentenced by 4th District Court Judge Leslie Halligan to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
"It's the sentence and judgment of the court that is one count, deliberate homicide, for the death of Taeko Teri Miller, that the defendant shall be sentenced to life imprisonment with a parole restriction of 40 years," the judge intoned from the bench, according to a courtroom report by NBC Montana.
The court also ordered the defendant to pay $2,070 in restitution for his mother's funeral expenses — waiving other court costs, according to Missoula-based CBS affiliate KPAX. The judge credited Miller with 1,023 days spent in pre- and post-trial detention.
The underlying familial violence occurred on May 13, 2023, at the home the mother and son shared on South Avenue in Missoula.
On the day in question, Miller himself called 911 and reported that his mother was covered in blood and not breathing at the bottom of the stairs, the TV station reported at the time.
The defendant was taken into custody at the scene after police noticed a large amount of blood spatter near the victim, along with a bucket full of cleaning supplies and an unused mop near her body. The son also had inflamed or swollen hands which were covered in scratches, police said.
Before sentencing was imposed, a prosecutor said Miller had "inherent violence" inside of him — noting how the convicted killer kept the murder weapon as a trophy, KPAX reported.
The defense noted Miller's young age at the time of slaying and said he deserved an opportunity at redemption and real life someday.
In fashioning the sentence — lengthy but possible release far in the future — the judge said she struck a balance between the need for public safety and the prospects for rehabilitation.
Before issuing the sentence, Halligan remarked upon the grim facts of the case. The judge first noted writings found in the house.
"Cover up, no regrets, alibi: break in next door," Miller wrote in a notebook, a fact prosecutors seized upon during trial, KPAX reported.
The judge also noted how Miller thought of multiple ways to kill his mother, weighed the pros and cons, and was even torn between the choice of victim.
Also on the killer's mind was the murder of his sister, Halligan noted. Miller further considered killing his sister's husband.
In the end, the son chose matricide. Miller decided to torture and kill his own mother by stabbing her 60 times, Halligan recounted.
During the proceedings, the defendant largely stayed silent.
Family members who provided impact statements and prosecutors interpreted the killer's silence as a lack of remorse. The defense, however, insisted their client was protecting his rights to potentially appeal.
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