Please remember to be as detailed as possible with your response and answer each of the scenario-based question in approximately 3-5 paragraphs (4-6 sentences per paragraph). Please upload the document in a Microsoft Word file. Please support your answer with research.
Earl Miller was the youngest of five children from a young mother who lived in a socially disorganized family. Earl Miller’s family had a long history of mental illness and criminal behavior. Miller’s childhood was extremely difficult because his mother was schizophrenic and his father was an alcoholic who was in and out of his life. Miller’s father would frequently abuse his mother in front of his children and was subsequently incarcerated for the act. Miller displayed antisocial personality traits from an early age. Miller would lock himself in his room and watch television all day and night without eating or socializing. Miller was extremely withdrawn and shy as a child and did not have any friendships even with his own siblings.
Earl Miller was suspended from school multiple times for conduct reasons and eventually dropped out of high school at the age of 16. However, before Miller dropped out of high school he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Earl Miller left home at age 18 and began to work at a local Burger King. Miller’s mental illness continued to be a major problem and caused him to miss work on multiple occasions. Miller was socially awkward and did not make any friends at Burger King.
Miller attempted suicide at the age of 19 and was taken to a mental hospital. Miller was placed on medication for bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, Miller stopped taken his medication shortly after being released from the mental hospital. Since Miller lived alone he rarely had contact with the outside world. Earl Miller was never in a relationship and did not have any friends or even family members to express his feelings toward.
After missing work for a third straight day without justification Earl Miller was fired from Burger King in 2016. Miller returned to his small apartment and continued to watch hours of television. While watching television, Miller noticed a beautiful 23-year-old actress Sara Taylor on a local Toyota Dealership commercial. Sara was a 5’8, 114 lbs. actress and model with long flowing blond hair and pretty blue eyes.
Earl Miller began obsessing about Sara Taylor looking up her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages and learning everything about her. Miller studied pictures of her from different modeling agencies and followed her every move on social media. A month later Earl Miller arrived at the Toyota Dealership looking for Sara Taylor. The dealership stated to Earl Miller that Sara Taylor was a hired actress and did not actually work at the dealership. Miller continued to obsess about the beautiful actress and model every day.
Miller discovered Sara Taylor moved to Hollywood in 2017 to expand her career. Miller then moved from Northwest Washington D.C. to outside Hollywood, California in order to be closer to Taylor. When Sara Taylor obtained a supportive role on a comedy television series, Miller watched every episode over and over.
Miller wrote Taylor multiple times explaining how they will marry and live forever as “one” and how they are soulmates. Taylor provided Miller a signed picture stating, “Thanks for the love; Sara Taylor.” By 2018, Miller would show-up at the Hollywood studio where the television show was filmed. Security guards escorted Miller out of the studio every time he arrived looking for Sara Taylor and threatened to trespass him from the grounds. This angered Earl Miller and he begin to threaten studio executives via e-mail and the telephone. As a result, the studio formally trespassed Earl Miller from the property.
Earl Miller believed the studio executives; specifically, Thomas A. Rudd were ruining his relationship with Sara Taylor. Miller begins having delusions that Taylor and him are already married. Every night Miller writes Sara Taylor a love note in his diary. Miller continued to have delusions that Thomas A. Rudd and Sara Miller are having a sexual relationship behind his back, which is why he was trespassed from the studio. Obviously, this is not true and Sara Taylor barley knows Thomas A. Rudd. However, Earl Miller continued to be obsessed about this idea.
Earl Miller continued for three months to have these delusions. Miller then begins to follow Sara Taylor around town and begins to court her into a relationship. Miller would follow Taylor into bars asking for her telephone number. Sara Taylor denied all of Miller’s advances. However, Miller mistakes Taylor’s rejections as a plea for help and that Thomas A. Rudd is controlling her and keeping them apart.
Sara Taylor advised security guards that Earl Miller is beginning to, “scare” her and is creating a “hostile” atmosphere. The studio advised Taylor this is common among beautiful young actresses in Hollywood. The studio provided Taylor with additional security in order to ease her mind, suggested limiting the types of social media postings, and even provided information on obtaining a protective order. Miller continued to follow Taylor around Los Angeles, California and discovered her home address.
Miller would leave roses at the front door of Sara Taylor’s apartment along with love notes and teddy bears. Sara Taylor refused to recognize the gifts, and decided to seek a protective order against Earl Miller for his conduct. Earl Miller’s delusions of Thomas A. Rudd having a sexual relationship with Taylor became worse after the protection order was granted. Miller’s love notes changed to threatening notes illustrating graphic accounts about sadistic rape, torture, and murder. However, at this point Earl Miller was living on the streets and the police could not locate Miller to serve him the protection order.
In 2019, Earl Miller broke into the Hollywood studio by posing as a security guard. Miller went into the office of Thomas A. Rudd and brandished an eight-inch knife. Earl Miller held the knife against Rudd’s throat and demanded he call Sara Taylor into the office. When Sara Taylor arrives in the office she discovered Earl Miller had slashed Thomas A. Rudd’s throat. Miller was covered with blood and it was clear Rudd was killed.
Earl Miller immediately stated, “Look Sara I did it for us, love me and let’s live forever together!” Taylor screamed in terror and ran out of the office to call the police. Police and security arrived on the scene within minutes and arrested Earl Miller. While under interrogation, Miller stated his delusional thoughts about Rudd’s relationship with Taylor. Miller stated how the relationship caused him to murder Thomas A. Rudd. Miller continued to believe he was in a relationship with Sara Taylor throughout the interrogation.
In your opinion, what crime(s) should Earl Miller be charged with? If you were Earl Miller’s defense attorney how would you advise your client to plea? Is this a case of insanity or stalking? Why? In your opinion, could the tragic events have been prevented? Why or why not? Which type of insanity defense is best suited for this type of incident? Why? If you were the prosecutor, what evidence would you show the jury the defendant is not insane under the law and responsible for his violent abusive behavior? Please support your opinion with outside research.
