Shon Miller

Mass Murderer

Shon Miller: The March 10, 1999 Murders

Overview

On March 10, 1999, Shon D. Miller Sr., age 22 and formerly a welder, carried out a chilling spree of violence in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. That evening, he killed four people—including his estranged wife and their 2-year-old son—across two nearby locations. His victims included close family and a church member. Authorities later convicted him, sentencing him to death in 2000—a sentence that was commuted to life imprisonment without parole in 2008.

Sequence of Events

- At the home of his mother-in-law, Mildred Vessel (53), Shon Miller ambushed and fatally shot her in a van near her residence. - Then at New St. John Fellowship Baptist Church, located just blocks away, he forced his way inside by kicking open the doors, fired twice into the ceiling, and ordered attendees to the floor. - Inside the church, he shot his estranged wife, Carla Vessel Miller (25), followed by their son, Shon Jr. (2 years old), after the child called out “Daddy.” - He also fatally shot a young church deacon, Vaniaro Jackson (19), who was sitting nearby. - Four additional congregants were wounded, two critically. The church was packed with adults and children attending a Wednesday-night Bible study at the time. - As he left the church, he reloaded and continued firing into the pews.

Apprehension and Aftermath

- Following a frantic manhunt lasting approximately three hours, law enforcement discovered Miller hiding in a shed roughly 100 yards from the church. He attempted suicide; an officer shot the gun from his hand with a shotgun, subsequently paralyzing him from the waist down. - He was hospitalized in guarded condition at a New Orleans medical center. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Vaniaro Jackson 19 yr old Male

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Shon Miller: Portrait of a Mass Killer as a Human Being | The Nation

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