This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Arraignment in Healdsburg fatal shooting postponed

Sonoma County D.A. Jill Ravitch attends hearing for Jarrod Joseph Miller; confirms with hearing's presiding judge that no bail hearing has been set. Miller to enter plea on March 17.

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch made a rare appearance in court Thursday afternoon to attend the scheduled arraignment of a 29-year-old Cloverdale man charged with murdering his sister's boyfriend at the couple's home in Alexander Valley.

Jerrod Joseph Miller appeared in court for the first time since the fatal shooting of 29-year-old -- former owner and founder of Thrive Hydroponics, a indoor/outdoor garden supplies store on West North Street in Healdsburg -- Tuesday night at the home Neuer reportedly shared with his girlfriend, Amanda Miller, who is Jerrod Miller's sister.

Miller's arraignment on a single charge of felony homicide -- or first degree murder -- was scheduled for Thursday, but that process was postponed one week to March 17, when Miller is expected to enter a plea.

Find out what's happening in Healdsburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Miller needed the extra time to obtain a full-time lawyer and to confer with an attorney about his arraignment plea, the presiding judge was told by Deputy Public Defender Lynne Stark-Slater, who represented Miller at Thursday's hearing. Miller answered Judge Knoel Owen's first question on his own, about whether he intended to hire a private attorney or be appointed a public defender.

“I guess I'm gonna have to accept an appointed lawyer,” said Miller, a sturdily built man with a tan complexion and short black hair. Miller looked unflinchingly stoic throughout a court appearance that lasted roughly 15 minutes, much of which was spent conferring with Stark-Slater while the Judge tried other cases.

Find out what's happening in Healdsburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After Owen ended the proceedings around Miller's case by announcing the rescheduled arraignment, Ravitch – who observed the entirety of Miller's hearing from a standing position by the side wall – remarked to the judge, “Your Honor, I'd like to confirm that he is a no-bail status at this time.” Getting this bit of reassurance, Ravitch then exited the courtroom with Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt – who also attended the full duration of Miller's hearing, for reasons unknown.

District Attorney Spokesperson Theresa Mensheck said she didn't know if Miller would eventually be granted a bail hearing or not, adding that bail is commonly withheld in murder cases.

On Thursday,Deputy District Attorney Scott Jamar said Jarrod Miller also was
charged with use of a weapon causing great bodily injury. Jamar said the gun that killed Neuer was a .30-caliber semi-automatic pistol, Bay City News reported.      

Miller faces 50 years to life in prison if he is convicted of first-degree murder and the weapon charge, Jamar said.

Sonoma County Sheriff's Lt. Dennis O'Leary told Patch News on Wednesday that investigators are still trying to determine a motive for Neuer's killing. He said   Jarrod Miller had recently moved out of the house where Neuer and Amanda Miller were living.

Outside the courtroom Thursday afternoon, two men who said they were
Miller's stepbrothers said he and Neuer argued earlier on Tuesda, Bay City News reported. The stepbrothers, who declined to give their names, said they were at the
arraignment "to support Tim and Amanda, not Jarrod."

The men said that Jarrod Miller used to live in the Rio Nido and Monte Rio areas of Sonoma County but moved to Las Vegas.

They said they did not know what Jarrod Miller did in Las Vegas over the past few years but that he returned to Sonoma County a few months ago.

They said that Jarrod Miller was unemployed and that Neuer and Amanda Miller tried to get him back on his feet and gave him a place to stay.

Neuer and Amanda Miller had been dating for about four years, the men said, according to Bay City News.

Investigators found marijuana growing in the residence where Neuerwas killed. O"Leary said Wednesday that investigators do not believe the shooting was related to the marijuana growing activity.

Miller's stepbrothers said no one in their family was aware that marijuana was growing in the home, Bay City News reported.

Jarrod Miller was previously arrested for driving with a suspended license on July 29, 2001, according to court records. His case was dismissed on July 19, 2002, when court bailiffs confirmed he had enlisted in the U.S. Marines, and he was ordered to pay $500 in court costs.

On Tuesday night, Amanda Miller reportedly called the sheriff's office around 11:20 p.m. to report a  shooting at her home. Deputies responding to the home found Neuer dead on the floor with several bullet wounds, according to a Bay City News report.

Miller told police her brother had left with a handgun in a white Chevrolet Suburban. Windsor police officers later spotted the vehicle traveling south on Old Redwood Highway north of Limerick Lane and arrested Miller, according to deputies sourced in the Bay City the report.

Miller reportedly told the officers he had thrown the gun out of the car just before being pulled over. A California Highway Patrol officer found the small-caliber handgun in a vineyard about 500 yards north of where Miller was stopped.

On Wednesday, sheriff's investigators said they from the house where Tuesday's shooting took place. O'Leary told Patch on Wednesday that the plants were seized from an outbuilding that was part of the home and from a grow room inside the house. He also said investigators don't believe the murder was related to the marijuana growing operation.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

NOTE: Earlier news reports that described Neuer as the current owner of Thrive Hydroponics were incorrect. Neuer is no longer an owner or employee at the company and has not worked there for at least six months. The information was corrected on Healdsburg Patch as of March 15, 2011.       
          
         

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.