Trial delayed for man accused of killing Jackson store clerk

“I’m going to grant the defendant’s motion to continue the trial,” Madison County Circuit Court Judge Don Allen said.

Allen reset Miller’s trial date for Sept. 25. “I want to make sure that he is represented properly,” Allen said. “I want to give him every opportunity to present a defense.”

Miller is accused of shooting and killing a store clerk in November 2015 at the Bull Market gas station in west Jackson. He faces multiple counts, including first-degree murder. If convicted, Miller could face the death penalty.

“You have to look into a lot of different things in a death penalty case that you don’t have to look into in another kind of case,” District Public Defender George Morton Googe said.

Googe, a court-appointed public defender, represents Miller. “We’ve only had the case in our office actually for just a little over a year,” Googe said.

The judge said the state and defense have until July 24 to reach a plea agreement. “I expect the lawyers to do their very best to investigate the case. If something can get resolved, certainly we want to do that,” Allen said.

The original trial date scheduled for November 2016 got pushed back to March after the state filed a motion seeking the death penalty. Allen then moved it to July. The trial is now scheduled to begin September 25.

In the meantime, Miller remains in custody. He is scheduled to return to court July 24 for a status hearing.