Miller, Tina: 2004

The body of Tina Miller was found by boaters face-down in Canoe Lake at Canoe Creek State Park in Frankstown Township.  Her hands and neck had been bound with duct tape; she was partially nude and appeared to have been sexually assaulted.

The previous evening, she had been at a local bar, and had been in the company of four men.  She and they left the bar and went to a private home.  One of the four men, Paul Ross of Hollidaysburg, wanted Tina to go home with him.  She seems to have do this voluntarily.  On the way, they stopped at one of the boat launches at the State Park.  Tina was not seen alive again.

At a roadside checkpoint, Ross told a state tropper about an odd encounter with a woman at the State Park on June 27, 2004.  He was asked to go to the barracks and tell his story there; he agreed to do so.  The investigating officer, Trooper David Aiello, found inconsistencies in his story, and information that was critical to the invesitatgation.

On June 28, 2004, Trooper Aiello obtained and executed a search warrant.  Body fluids, hair, and dental impressions were taken from Ross.  There were scratches on his right leg and arms.  The other three men were asked to also provide samples; they also agreed to polygraph examinations.  Their statements agreed with each other, but contradicted Ross’s.  Trooper Aiello was also able to track down survelliance tapes from local stores proving the three other men were telling the truth.

Further interviewing revealed that Ross had taken an item from his home and put in the trash at a local store.  It was not recovered, but was believed to have been a pair of shoes.  Even without the shoes, Trooper Aiello was able to determine that Ross had in fact owned and wore shoes which were consistent with footprints left at the scene.

Former female acquaintances of Ross were interviewed and testified to a pattern of behavior that was also observed in the homicide.  Although laboratory testing was inconclusive, the evidence and testimony uncovered by Trooper Aiello resulted in Ross’s arrest and conviction for first-degree murder.

The District Attorney, Dave Gorman, sought the death penalty based on the mitigating circumstance of torture; Tina had been in such pain that she had bitten her tongue.  She had been a victim of massive sexual assaults, and had died of strangulation or drowning.  He was sentenced to life in prison.

Trooper Aiello received an award for his work.