Mar 12, 2003 By Jennifer Harr 3 min read

Sentenced last week to a mandatory term of life in prison without parole for the first-degree shotgun murder of Charles D. Springer, Thomas Miller II returned to Fayette County Court on Tuesday to hear the remainder of his sentence. Judge John F. Wagner Jr. ordered Miller to spend an additional three to 10 years in prison for injuring Andrew King during the shooting.

Springer and his stepfather, King, were pulled over near Miller’s parents’ Ronco Road home when Miller shot at the men.

The slug from the 12-gauge shotgun Miller used remains in King’s chest.

While prosecutors presented evidence that Miller ambushed the men, defense attorney Mark F. Morrison argued that King and Springer sought out Miller, looking for a fight, on May 12.

When Miller, who did not testify at his trial, fired at the men, Morrison argued he was defending himself and his family.

Before he sentenced Miller, Wagner heard comments from Christine Teets, Springer’s sister.

Her voice wavered as she told the jurist that her life has been forever changed since losing her only brother.

“We were like best friends and we did everything together,” Teets told First Administrative Assistant District Attorney John A. Kopas III.

King was on his way to drop Springer off at her house the night he was shot.

Teets also noted that Springer has two children who have been deeply affected by the loss of their father. She said that Springer was a “wonderful” father who did everything with his children.

She classified her brother as the type of man who would not hurt anyone.

“I loved him very much. He was the only brother I had, and, now, he’s gone,” said Teets, sniffling.

In sentencing Miller as he did, Wagner said he also considered the “prior assaulting behavior” of which Miller had been convicted. The most recent of those, according to court documents, is a Greene County conviction in which Miller used an axe handle to hit the door of the Crucible Citizens’ Club.

During that March 23, 2002, incident, police charged that Miller threatened to kill the people inside. He was sentenced to six to 23 months in prison.

He is not yet done serving that sentence, and Wagner ran the aggravated assault sentence consecutively to that prison time.

Miller was also ordered to pay $4,603 in restitution for Springer’s burial needs and approximately $73,000 in unpaid medical expenses for King’s injuries.

Wagner also included in the sentence a request that Miller not be sent to the State Correctional Institution at Greene, since two of the jurors who sat on his murder trial are employed there.

After Miller was convicted last week, Morrison said he plans to file an appeal and will cite in it Wagner’s failure to allow him to reopen his defense case and present additional evidence.