Bio

John Millian was born in 1831 and was reported to be from France. Historical records also list his name in different ways, including John Millain, John Milleain, and Jean Marie A. Villain. Jean Marie A. Villain was his original French birth name.

By the 1860s, Millian was living in Nevada during the Comstock mining boom. He was in or near Virginia City, a busy mining town in Storey County. He describe as a Frenchman who spoke little English.

Millian became connected to the murder of Julia Bulette after some of her belongings were reportedly found in his possession. This evidence became an important part of the case against him.

Murder Story

On January 20, 1867, Julia Bulette was found murdered inside her home in Virginia City, Nevada. She had been strangled and also had injuries to her head and face. Her home had been searched, and some of her belongings were missing. Her death shocked Virginia City and became one of Nevada’s most famous historical murder cases.

The case stayed unsolved for a short time. John Millian was later arrested after he was linked to property that belonged to Bulette. Historical accounts differ on the exact details, but the safest wording is that he was connected to her missing belongings.

Millian was tried for murder in Storey County. He was French and reportedly spoke little English. His trial was brief, and he was convicted of murdering Julia Bulette. He appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court, but the court refused to overturn his conviction.

On April 24, 1868, John Millian was executed by hanging in Virginia City. A large crowd attended the execution, and Mark Twain reportedly witnessed it while visiting the Comstock area.

Some later writers have questioned Millian’s guilt because the case relied heavily on possession of Bulette’s belongings and because he spoke little English. However, the confirmed legal outcome is that he was convicted, lost his appeal, and was executed for the murder.