In a quiet, gated community in Bluffton, South Carolina, the life of Timothy George Milliken, a 45-year-old software engineer and father of two, came to a violent and unexpected end on the night of November 16, 2020. What began as a prearranged meeting for sex in exchange for money, orchestrated online, quickly devolved into a fatal encounter.
Milliken had arranged to meet with a young woman, later identified as 17-year-old Sarah Barr of Summerville.
He drove outside the gates of his Westbury Park neighborhood to pick her up in a car also occupied by Devante White. Unbeknownst to Milliken, two other men, Malik White and Jamal Coakley, were concealed in the trunk of the vehicle.
Upon returning to Milliken's driveway, the plan took a sinister turn. Devante White grabbed Milliken from behind, falsely claiming to be a police officer arresting him for soliciting a prostitute. The group, with at least one man armed with a revolver, forced Milliken toward the back of his house. A struggle ensued in the laundry room just inside the back door. During the confrontation, Milliken was shot. Surveillance cameras inside and outside the home captured the tragic sequence of events.
After the single gunshot, all four individuals fled the scene. Emergency responders who arrived at the home were initially hampered in their efforts to reach Milliken by his distressed family dog.
Investigators quickly identified the suspects. Devante White, Malik White, and Jamal Coakley were apprehended in Gwinnett County, Georgia, after police located the Nissan Altima used in the crime. Sarah Barr was arrested separately in Dorchester County. All four were initially charged with murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery.
The ensuing legal process revealed the details of the deadly plot. Devante White, identified as the shooter, was convicted of murder, kidnapping, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He received a 40-year prison sentence. Jamal Coakley pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with credit for time served. Malik White also pleaded guilty to armed robbery and received a 15-year sentence. Sarah Barr, who was a minor at the time and acted as the bait, received a five-year suspended sentence with five years of probation for attempted armed robbery.
