- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Hidden Valley Lake man ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial for daughter’s murder
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A judge has ruled that a Hidden Valley Lake man charged with killing his daughter last May is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The decision regarding Steven Russell Miller’s mental status came at the end of a competency bench trial on Tuesday, Miller’s 40th birthday.
Judge Stephen Hedstrom declared Miller incompetent after he was evaluated by three separate doctors, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Trang Jensen.
Miller is charged with the murder of his 20-year-old daughter, Hannah Welch, on the night of May 30, 2017, as Lake County News has reported.
Authorities said Miller shot Welch at their home on Spyglass Road before he fled the scene. He was arrested later that night in Hidden Valley Lake.
The District Attorney’s Office has charged Miller with homicide, with a special allegation that he personally used a firearm which caused great bodily injury and death to his daughter, and with brandishing a gun at his mother, who called law enforcement.
As for what led to the shooting, “He was unhappy that the daughter was living with him,” Jensen said. Despite the brandishing incident, “He was very protective of his mother.”
She said Miller hadn’t liked other family members living with them, noting there also had been issues with a cousin who stayed at the home previously.
Jensen said there were two doctors ordered to initially evaluate Miller. “One found that he could be competent if medicated. The other found him to be incompetent.”
So a third doctor was brought in to evaluate Miller, and that doctor found him incompetent, Jensen said.
She said those reports were submitted as part of the Tuesday morning bench trial before Judge Hedstrom to determine Miller’s competence.
Defense attorney Andrea Sullivan said that, altogether, a total of seven doctors have evaluated Miller’s mental state, which included private evaluations and not guilty by reason by insanity evaluations.
“What the doctors overwhelmingly say is he is schizophrenic,” said Sullivan, explaining that Miller was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia as part of this case.
While Sullivan believes that psychiatric condition is the driving force of the case, she said there is more to it, describing it as a “very, very complicated situation” regarding ongoing health problems and previously undiagnosed schizophrenia.
She said Miller has had 5150 holds for mental health issues as long ago as 10 years ago. He also has a very minimal previous criminal history, with a misdemeanor battery conviction against his father.
With Hedstrom finding Miller incompetent at the Tuesday trial, the criminal proceedings now come to a halt, Jensen said.
“Criminal proceedings were suspended until his mental competence is restored,” she said.
She said a June 12 hearing has been set for further proceedings. By that date she said it’s expected that it will be determined where Miller will be placed.
Jensen said he likely will be sent to the Napa State Hospital, where the county continues to have challenges getting placements for individuals with mental health issues.
Sullivan said a report will need to be prepared on placement, and Miller could end up being sent to any state hospital.
“There has to be a placement and then he has to be given a chance to regain competency,” she said.
She said the maximum time allowed is three years. “If he can’t be restored to competency, he can't be prosecuted but there could be a conservatorship.”
Sullivan added, “If he does regain competence, we’re ready to go to trial.”
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