On a tragic Tuesday morning in Tallassee, Alabama, the community was shaken by a violent act that left two women dead in a Walmart parking lot. The incident, which occurred on June 19, 2018, was the culmination of a domestic dispute that ended in a murder-suicide. The victims were identified as 58-year-old Tresea Miller and 75-year-old Barbara Buttles, a white female.
The perpetrator was 65-year-old Harold Miller, the estranged husband of Tresea Miller.
In the time leading up to the fatal encounter, the relationship between Tresea and Harold had been fraught with conflict, prompting legal intervention. Just a week before the shooting, a judge had granted a protective order for Tresea Miller, her son, and Barbara Buttles against Harold Miller. Court documents indicated that Tresea and Harold Miller were in the process of a divorce, and there was a known history of domestic incidents between them.
On that fateful morning, Harold Miller drove his vehicle and intentionally crashed into the car occupied by his estranged wife and Buttles in the store's parking lot. After the collision, he opened fire on the two women, inflicting fatal wounds. Following the shooting, Harold Miller then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life at the scene.
Law enforcement officials, including Tallassee Police Chief Matthew Higgins and Mayor Johnny Hammock, quickly arrived at the scene. Their investigation confirmed that the incident was a murder-suicide stemming from the ongoing domestic dispute. As a result, with the suspect deceased, the case was closed, leaving a community to mourn the loss of two of its members.
