Joseph Robert Miller

Serial Killer

Joseph Robert Miller: A Detailed Account of His Crimes

Early Life and Criminal Beginnings

Joseph Robert Miller, born on January 15, 1955, in Illinois, was abandoned at an orphanage shortly after birth. He was later adopted by the Miller family in Chicago, where he endured strict and abusive upbringing. This tumultuous childhood led him to engage in petty crimes from an early age. Between the late 1960s and 1977, Miller faced multiple arrests for offenses such as theft, carjacking, and sexual assault. In 1977, he settled in Skokie, Illinois, marrying a local woman and working as a pizza delivery man.

First Known Murders and Initial Conviction

On October 25, 1977, 31-year-old Martha Ryan, a convicted sex worker, was reported missing in Chicago. Witnesses last saw her with a young man driving an orange Chevrolet Vega. Eight days later, her body was discovered wrapped in a blanket near a liquor store in Skokie, close to Miller's residence. Due to matching descriptions, Miller was interrogated. Subsequently, the body of 22-year-old Ann Iecile Maxham, also a known sex worker, was found in Skokie. A fellow sex worker identified Miller and his wife as clients. Consequently, Miller was arrested and charged with both murders on November 5, 1977. During the investigation, searches of Miller's property linked him to additional crimes, including armed robbery and kidnapping. Procedural errors during these searches led to some evidence being inadmissible. With his wife's refusal to testify, Miller accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to robbery and receiving a 30-year sentence with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Parole, Subsequent Murders, and Final Apprehension

After serving the minimum required term, Miller was paroled in April 1993, partly due to good behavior and a physical disability from a leg injury. He moved to a nursing home in Peoria, Illinois, where he was perceived as friendly and active, attending church regularly. In late August 1993, Miller was hired to repair the home of 88-year-old Bernice Fagotte. Weeks later, Fagotte was reported missing. Around the same time, the bodies of three women were discovered in a drainage ditch on Peoria's outskirts: - **Marcia Logue (34)**: Found on September 18, 1993, tied, gagged, beaten, and stabbed. - **Helen Dorrance (26)**: Found on September 18, 1993, strangled. - **Sandra L. Csesznegi (42)**: Found on September 26, 1993, strangled. All three were local sex workers. Investigations revealed that Logue was last seen on September 15 entering a maroon car driven by a middle-aged white man. Csesznegi disappeared the same day, and Dorrance four days earlier. Fagotte's Oldsmobile was found abandoned near Miller's nursing home. Given his criminal history, Miller became a suspect. During a search of his apartment and car, evidence linked him to the murders. He was arrested in October 1993. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (6)

Martha Ryan Age: (31), Date of Death: 1977-10-25

    ...View 5 additional victims

Joseph Robert Miller - Wikipedia

    ...View 13 additional sources