Court upholds 3 murder convictions, life sentences in Pender County case

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Court of Appeals has upheld three first-degree murder convictions against a man sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison without parole in a Pender County case.

Michael Legage Miller Jr. appealed his convictions following a Pender County Superior Court trial. The case was originally prosecuted by the office of Pender County District Attorney Jason Smith.

According to the North Carolina Department of Justice, the case dates back to November 2020, when the Pender County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home and found a woman who was seven months pregnant suffering from a gunshot wound. She later died from her injuries.

Investigators also found another person dead in a wooded area. Autopsy reports determined both died from gunshot wounds.

According to the Department of Justice, a tip in May 2021 led investigators to Miller, and law enforcement obtained a warrant for his arrest.

A jury later convicted Miller of three counts of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Miller challenged several aspects of his trial on appeal, including the denial of a motion to suppress evidence, the admission of expert testimony and jury instructions.

In an opinion filed Sept. 16, the Court of Appeals concluded Miller received a fair trial free from prejudicial error, leaving his murder convictions and prison sentences in place.

The appellate court did find an error involving separate civil judgments for attorney fees, concluding Miller was not given an opportunity to be heard on that issue. The court vacated those orders and sent the attorney fee matter back to the trial court for another hearing.

The ruling was among 23 Court of Appeals opinions highlighted by the North Carolina Department of Justice involving criminal convictions defended by the department on appeal.