Christopher Miller, accused of killing his father, pleads not guilty to indictment charging him with murder

A Deer Park man accused of fatally shooting his father — a retired Suffolk police detective and longtime member of the Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Company — pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder at his arraignment on an indictment in Riverhead on Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Eric Aboulafia told Acting Suffolk Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski that defendant Christopher Miller admitted shooting retired Det. John Miller four times with a shotgun on March 19 at their Bruno Lane home during a videotaped confession. Pilewski ordered Miller, 43, held without bail pending trial.

"Four gunshots rang out on Bruno Lane," Aboulafia said. "Those gunshots stole the life of 75-year-old John Miller, who was gunned down in his own home."

Miller pleaded "not guilty by insanity" at his first court appearance, on March 20 in Central Islip. Miller’s attorney, Glenn Obedin, said he was just getting to know the defendant and was waiting for prosecutors to provide him with discovery.

"Clearly, my client has a history of mental health issues which we are going to fully explore," Obedin said after Tuesday’s arraignment.

Pilewski ordered Miller to return to court on June 12. If convicted, Miller faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years to life.

The events that led to the fatal shooting began on March 17, when Miller was involved in a car accident with a motorist in Stony Brook, Aboulafia said. The defendant got into a fight with the other driver and was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

John Miller, unaware of his son’s whereabouts, attempted to report the defendant missing the following day, Aboulafia said. A Suffolk police officer, Matthew Galeazzi of the First Precinct, arrived at the Bruno Lane home on March 18 to complete a missing-person report. Galeazzi later informed the retired detective that his son was in the emergency room.

The victim picked up Miller at the hospital that evening and brought him to his Deer Park home, according to authorities, where he has been living while going through a divorce. Father and son quarreled early on March 19 before Miller opened fire with the shotgun, the prosecutor said. The gunshots were recorded on surveillance video, which also captured Miller fleeing the scene, Aboulafia said.

Miller attempted to steal a landscaping truck and then hid in a shed in a yard in Dix Hills. A resident saw a "suspicious person" in the shed and called 911, the prosecutor told Pilewski. Galeazzi, the First Precinct officer responded to the 911 call. The officer, Aboulafia said, informed Miller that his father was worried about him and said he would take the defendant home.

Miller initially resisted, but eventually returned to the Bruno Lane home, where Galeazzi discovered the retired detective’s body in a pool of blood, with the shotgun nearby, Aboulafia said. The scene was captured on Galeazzi’s body camera.

Miller tried to run upstairs to flee, but the officer was able to detain him. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office determined that John Miller had suffered multiple shotgun wounds, prosecutors said.

Friends told Newsday last month that John Miller was deeply committed to public service and his community. In addition to his 25-plus years with the Suffolk County Police Department, he was also a member of the Wyandanch Volunteer Fire Company for 57 years, serving as its chief four times and its president twice. Christopher Miller was also a longtime member of the fire department.

John Miller, a trustee of the SCPD’s First Precinct Brotherhood, was an advocate for retired and current officers. He raised money and was a volunteer for the Wounded Warrior Project, which assists injured former servicemen and servicewomen.

Miller helped plan funerals for Long Island first responders who died suffering 9/11-related illnesses and assisted the American Red Cross after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, friends and colleagues said.

"The indictment handed down today marks a crucial step toward justice in this tragic case," Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said. "I would like to thank Officer Galeazzi for apprehending the defendant before anyone could be harmed."