Opinion ID: 2263311
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Alicia Miller visited her stepmother in the summer of 2004 and informed her stepmother that her father, Sylvester Miller, had sexually abused her. Alicia's stepmother contacted the Florida police. The Florida Police asked Alicia to provide a handwritten statement of the events and contacted Delaware authorities. Delaware police then investigated resulting in Miller's arrest and indictment. At Miller's trial both Alicia and Anthony Miller, Miller's son, testified against him. Alicia testified to six specific instances when her father raped or sexually abused her: (1) a time when her father forced her to have sexual intercourse the night before Christmas; (2) a time when Alicia's father forced her to have sexual intercourse and her brother opened the bedroom door; (3) a time when her father dragged her into his bedroom and forced her to perform oral sex; (4) the first time her father forced her to have anal sex; (5) the summer after she turned 14 and her father, again, forced her to have anal sex; and (6) a time when her father forced her to have sexual intercourse before she left for Florida. Anthony corroborated Alicia's testimony. Anthony saw his father enter Alicia's bedroom late at night and during those times he heard bedsprings creaking and Alicia saying no and stop. Anthony also testified to an occasion when he walked into Alicia's bedroom and saw Miller under the sheets with Alicia. Finally, Anthony explained that his sister had told him about the abuse two years before the trial but he never mentioned anything because he was confused about what action he should take. Miller never testified, but the jury had the opportunity to view Miller's videotaped police interview. During the police interview, Miller denied all of Alicia's allegations. Despite Miller's repeated denials in the videotape and other evidence suggesting that Alicia and Anthony had motives to lie, [2] the jury found Miller guilty of six counts of Rape First Degree and one count of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. The trial judge sentenced Miller to the mandatory minimum fifteen years at Level V incarceration for each Rape count and two years Level V incarceration followed by probation for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child. Miller now appeals that verdict.