A Nevada teen who was severely disfigured in a 2003 fire that killed his 4-year-old cousin is accused of fatally shooting his live-in landlord and having his uncle help move the body.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Michael Miller, 19, killed Raul Salazar, 47, days after he served Miller and his family an eviction notice. Miller’s uncle reportedly said Salazar cornered and threatened Miller in a hallway — leading his nephew to fatally shoot Salazar several times.
Police said Miller, his mother, and two younger siblings lived in Salazar’s home. Miller woke up on September 19 and found his family wasn’t home and his prosthetics were in another room, leading him to crawl to the hallway where the deadly altercation occurred, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
According to the Review-Journal, Miller lost his hand and both feet in the fatal 2003 blaze, suffering burns to 95 percent of his body. Moments before the shooting, police said Salazar, who also had mobility issues, used his walker to pin the teen against a wall in the hallway.
Following news of his arrest late last month, questions arose about how Miller, who reportedly uses prosthetics and a wheelchair, was able to dump Salazar’s body by himself. On Tuesday, authorities released an arrest report which alleged that the suspect’s uncle, Joseph Wade Miller, 48, admitted that he helped discard Salazar’s body in a deserted area off Lake Mead Boulevard in Las Vegas.
Joseph Wade Miller previously spoke with the media about the slaying and denied his involvement. He’s since claimed that his nephew called him shortly after the September 19 shooting and asked for help. He recalled arriving at the home and finding Salazar dead in the living room, according to the arrest report.
Michael Miller’s mother reportedly told police that she moved into Salazar’s home and June and had a tumultuous relationship with him. She claimed she left to stay with a friend the night before the shooting, KVVU reported.
In addition to allegedly dumping Salazar’s body, Joseph Wade Miller was accused of disposing of the ammunition used in the September 19 shooting.
“(Joseph Wade Miller) claimed prior to disposing the body, they considered staging the house to look like a home invasion,” police wrote, according to the Sun.
Michael Miller, who’s facing murder charges, remains jailed on a $250,000 bond. His uncle was arrested and charged with harboring, concealing or aiding a felony offender.
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[Featured image: Michael Miller/Las Vegas Metro Police Department]
