Opinion ID: 2671522
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Murder of Carol Miller

Text: Carol Miller was last seen on February 6, 1990, on University Avenue in the City of Riverside (Riverside), entering a small blue automobile with a White 7 male. On February 8, 1990, her nude body was discovered in a grapefruit grove in the Highgrove area of Riverside County. The cause of death was five antemortem stab wounds to the chest, three of which penetrated her heart. She also exhibited signs of asphyxia, including hemorrhaging in her eyes, eyelids, lips and gums. The tissue that attaches the upper lip to the gum was torn, a condition that was consistent with being struck in the face and also with struggling while being smothered. There were ligature marks around her wrists. Male DNA found in the vaginal swab from Miller‘s body was analyzed by RFLP and PCR testing, and both analyses reflected that the DNA was consistent with defendant‘s DNA. The combined frequency with which the results of these two analyses would appear is one in 234,000 among Blacks, one in 1,000,000 among Whites, and one in 55,000 among Hispanics. A shirt partially covered her face. A hair found on the shirt was similar to defendant‘s head hair, and a hair found in her pubic area was similar to defendant‘s pubic hair. Fibers found on the shirt were similar to the red acetate lining, the white nylon insulation, and the blue nylon exterior of the sleeping bag in defendant‘s van, and to the van‘s carpet and dark fabric on the van‘s seats. Fibers found on the shirt and in her pubic area were similar to fibers in the rope found in defendant‘s van. Paint chips on the shirt were similar to a paint chip found on Darla Ferguson. Tire track impressions consistent with Armstrong Ultra Trac tires and Yokohama 382 tires were found near the body. Track widths — the distance between two front tires or two back tires — of some of the tire impressions were consistent with Armstrong Ultra Trac tires being on the front and Yokohama 382 tires being on the back of defendant‘s van, which was the location of the tires when he purchased the Armstrong Ultra Trac tires. 8