By Lindsay Press
A Dix Hills man has been indicted for murder after shooting and killing his father.
On March 17, Christopher Miller, 43, of Dix Hills, was involved in a motor vehicle crash and later admitted to Stony Brook University Hospital. The following day, his father, John Miller, 75, who was unaware of the crash, reported his son as missing. Christopher Miller lived with his father.
Suffolk County officer Matthew Galeazzi responded to John Miller’s home on Bruno Lane in Dix Hills. After performing a computer search, Galeazzi told John Miller that his son was at Stony Brook University Hospital. Relieved, John Miller thanked Galeazzi for his assistance.
On March 19, Galeazzi responded to a call from a Dix Hills resident who reported a suspicious person hiding in the resident’s shed. Galeazzi went to the residence, opened the shed, and allegedly identified the suspicious person as Christopher Miller.
Galeazzi told Christopher Miller that he had spoken to his father the day before at their home and that his father was worried about him. Galeazzi offered to drive Christopher Miller home, but he refused. However, after Galeazzi insisted, Christopher Miller allegedly agreed to be driven back to his residence, half a mile away.
When they arrived at the home, footage from Galeazzi’s body camera showed his entrance into the home and his immediate viewing of John Miller lying on the kitchen floor in a large puddle of blood and a shotgun lying nearby. Christopher Miller allegedly tried to run up the stairs, but Galeazzi stopped and arrested him. Additionally, witness interviews alleged Christopher Miller tried to steal a landscaping truck but failed.
Officers retrieved the shotgun, along with four expended shot shells, at the scene. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner determined that John Miller suffered numerous perforating and penetrating shotgun wounds.
On April 1, Christopher Miller was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski for murder in the second degree, a Class A felony.
Pilewski ordered Christopher Miller remanded while the case is pending. Christopher Miller is scheduled back in court on June 12 and faces 25 years to life in jail if he is convicted on the top count.
“The indictment handed down today marks a crucial step toward justice in this tragic case,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney. “I would like to thank Officer Galeazzi who did a great job here apprehending this defendant before anyone else could be harmed.”