2014-02-14 Hayes
Murder of Nathaniel Wayne Miller
| Date | February 15, 2014 |
| Location | Lighthouse Apartments, 4530 Maverick Street, Amarillo, Texas, United States |
| Type | Homicide and aggravated assault |
| Weapon | Machete-type blade |
| Killed | Nathaniel Wayne Miller, aged 30 |
| Injured | One woman |
| Perpetrator | Joseph Keith Hayes |
| Motive | Not stated in available sources |
| Charges | Murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a family member |
| Verdict | Guilty by plea |
| Sentence | Life imprisonment |
The murder of Nathaniel Wayne Miller occurred on February 15, 2014, at the Lighthouse Apartments in Amarillo, Texas. Miller, 30, was killed with a machete-type weapon during an attack in which another person, identified as the former girlfriend of perpetrator Joseph Keith Hayes, was seriously injured.[1][2]
Hayes pleaded guilty in February 2015 to murder and a related charge of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.[3]
Attack
During the early morning of February 15, Amarillo police were dispatched to Apartment 215D at 4530 Maverick Street following a report of a woman bleeding. Officers found a woman suffering from multiple lacerations and discovered Miller’s body inside the apartment.[1:1]
The injured woman was initially transported to an Amarillo hospital and subsequently transferred to a medical facility in Lubbock. She sustained extensive injuries to her legs, feet, and hands.[2:1][3:1]
Authorities later said Hayes had entered the apartment using a spare key. He attacked his former girlfriend and Miller, who was described as her new boyfriend.[3:2]
Investigation and arrest
Police located Hayes, then 33, at a nearby residence in north Amarillo on the day of the attack. He was taken into custody and booked into the Potter County Correctional Facility on charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a family member.[1:2]
A preliminary autopsy determined that Miller died from sharp-force trauma. Investigators initially declined to identify the weapon or describe the wounds and relationships among the people involved.[2:2]
Indictment
A grand jury subsequently indicted Hayes on murder and aggravated-assault charges. Randall County District Attorney James Farren said investigators believed Hayes used a machete-type blade to kill Miller and wound the woman.
Prosecutors initially anticipated that the case could take between nine and 18 months to resolve because of its seriousness and the likelihood of additional pretrial proceedings.
Guilty plea and sentence
On February 4, 2015, Hayes, then 34, pleaded guilty to murder and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.[3:3]
Farren characterized the attack as exceptionally brutal. The case was resolved by the guilty plea rather than a jury trial.
References
KVII, “Amarillo Police Investigating Early Saturday Morning Murder,” February 15, 2014. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Amarillo Globe-News, “Police release preliminary autopsy results for homicide victim,” February 20, 2014. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
KVII, “Amarillo man pleads guilty to murder in machete attack,” February 5, 2015. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎