Miller won’t take plea deal; trial next week
Published 2:38 pm Monday, November 21, 2011
Martell Miller, one of the five Niles teenagers alleged to be behind a sex video extortion scandal, elected not to take a plea agreement and will face a jury trial next Tuesday as scheduled.
Miller’s attorney Shannon Sible and prosecutor Steve Pierangeli requested Monday that the trial date be pushed back to mid-December to allow time for the prosecution to get a subpoena of Facebook material and to interview more witnesses.
Judge Scott Schofield denied the request.
“This case has been going on several months now,” he said.
Sible also asked for Schofield to review Miller’s bond requirements so he could spend Thanksgiving with his family — a motion the judge denied.
Miller is in jail after being charged with contempt of court for allegedly posting on co-defendant Martise Washington’s Facebook wall before his trial — a violation of his bond.
Sible said Miller’s post on Facebook was a “very general” wish of good luck before Washington’s trial.
“There are no allegations of getting evidence or changing testimony,” Sible argued. “There are no allegations of things against his bond.”
When Miller goes to trial next week, two of his co-defendants Leon Murphy and Parnell Martin, who have accepted plea bargains, will likely testify against him. Evidence used in Washington’s trial, including text messages, photos and the sex tape, could also be presented by the prosecution.
Washington was found guilty on all seven charges earlier this month. The other co-defendant Trey Nichols is slated for trial in December.
The teens are accused of taping a then 17-year-old girl having sex with Washington and threatening to post it on Facebook if she didn’t perform sex acts on them.