Bio

Garry Dean Miller was born on November 2, 1967. Before the murder, Miller lived in Merkel, Texas, near Abilene. He was 21 years old at the time of the crime. Reports described him as a former bartender and laborer. Miller had taken college courses related to law enforcement and had worked with young people at a Methodist Church-run camp. 

Miller did not have a widely reported serious criminal history before the murder of April Marie Wilson. During his trial, his defense argued that the crime was out of character and claimed he was legally insane at the time. The jury rejected that defense.

On the night before the murder, April Marie Wilson was staying at the same home where Miller lived. Her mother had arranged for her to be watched while she worked late. Miller returned to the home early in the morning after drinking alcohol. According to his later confession, he found April asleep on the couch and woke her up.

Murder Story

On November 11, 1988, seven-year-old April Marie Wilson was staying overnight at a home in Merkel, Texas. Her mother had arranged for babysitting because she was working late. Garry Dean Miller also lived at the home. According to the Texas Attorney General’s case summary, Miller returned to the residence around 1:30 a.m. after working and socializing the previous day and evening.

Miller later confessed that he had been drinking and did not want to stay at the house. He woke April while she was sleeping and asked if she wanted to go riding around with him. He then took her away from the home in his pickup truck.

Miller drove April to a remote area of Jones County, Texas. In his written confession, he admitted that he sexually assaulted her. He also stated that he panicked, choked her, and struck her with an object he picked up from the ground. The medical evidence showed that April died from multiple blunt-force injuries to the head, neck, and trunk. The pathologist testified that the blows to her head were delivered with extreme force.

After the attack, Miller believed April was dead. He used coat hangers to drag her body into brush. He later returned home and collected some of her belongings, intending to leave them near her body, but he was unable to find the body when he returned to the scene.

Later that morning, the people in the home realized April was missing. When Miller was asked if he had seen her, he said he had not. He then joined others in pretending to help search for her.

Two quail hunters later found children’s clothing, a blanket, a Raggedy Ann doll, a bottle of lotion, and paper towels in a rural pasture. Some of the items appeared to have blood on them. Because they knew a child was missing, they contacted law enforcement. April’s body was then found in the pasture.

Investigators connected Miller to the crime. He confessed during questioning, and traces of April’s blood were found on the tailgate of his pickup truck. His account of the crime matched medical findings presented at trial.

Miller was tried for capital murder in Texas. During the guilt phase, his defense presented an insanity claim. Witnesses for the defense said the crime seemed out of character, and a psychologist testified that Miller may have been suffering from a dissociative episode at the time of the offense. The jury rejected the insanity defense and convicted him of capital murder.

In the punishment phase, the State presented medical and psychiatric testimony about the severity of the crime and argued that Miller would remain a continuing threat. Miller’s defense again presented psychological evidence, but the jury sentenced him to death in September 1989.

Miller appealed through state and federal courts. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and death sentence, and the Fifth Circuit later rejected his federal habeas appeal. After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case, Miller instructed his attorneys not to continue filing appeals.

Garry Dean Miller was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, on December 5, 2000. His final statement included an apology to April’s mother and a prayer asking for mercy and forgiveness. He was pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m.