This is going to be a very difficult month for the family and friends of Shelby Miller, for it will be one year since he was so tragically taken from us. The memories of that fateful night just seem to be lurking around the corner to torment and haunt us. It is causing us to remember with great pain and sorrow, finding him laying out under the brush last September after being murdered. However, we have chosen to remember him with dignity and honor. We are planning a Celebration of his life in the form of a picnic, to remember not the murder, but to honor the life of a great man. He has given so much to everyone that he has made contact with. He has taught us the necessity of loving in the true Christian sense. He did not just go to church and say this, he instead lived out what he believed and helped those around him as is expected of us in scripture. He has taught us all the importance of family and how to appreciate and value those who are kin. We learned to be just serious enough to take care of the business of daily living, but to also be silly enough to enjoy the lives we have been given. He created such joy and laughter wherever he went and his enthusiasm was contagious. People were motivated by his energy and love of life to be better people for knowing him.
I can say that it is hard to let go of the events surrounding his death , but I can hear him saying that you can’t live by holding onto hate and grief, and he is right. He would want us to remember with joy and laughter not with tears. The time for tears is gone, although we still shed them for him. So we will focus on the good memories, for that is a treasure that no one can take from us, it is something hidden in all of us. We all take a piece of who Shelby was and he is now and forever part of us. He will be remembered with good thoughts and the memories of who he was, and who we are for knowing him, will guide us through.
The Celebration will be Sunday, September 26, from 2-5 at the Beaver Creek State Park Picnic Pavilion. I know this is short notice, and many will not be able to be there in person, but we know you will be there in Spirit. We will eat, reminisce, and enjoy fond memories of our loved one.

The puclic should know what kind of monster travis is

The autopsy report came in for us to read. As all autopsy's it was graphic and very detailed. But as I saw the injuries inflicted on Shelby by Travis, and read about what happened to his body, as Travis left him out there without any remorseful thoughts, I became sick. To understand how little regard Travis had for his own father, and the rest of the family and friends, shows you what an evil person Travis really is.

This is a summary of what he did to Shelby or the injuries Shelby's body had on him.

1. Abrasions to chest, arms , and left hand ( Shelby was left handed, I can just picture him raising his hand to block Travis blows)

2. Lacerations on the face

3 He was shot in the back of the head. The bullet shattered his skull into pieces

4. his heart was enlarged. I asked a nurse why this could be and was told, either from the trauma of the beating or from the bleedout of the gunshot wound, but most likey the trauma of it and fear made his heart swell and grow bigger

5. lacerations to the head

The condition of the body was described in gruesome detail. Decomposition had set in, and his body was different colors. There was skin slippage on the anterior chest, greensih colors in some spots and brown ish color in others. There could be no eye exam due to decomp and insect activity which the insects ate his eyes. Stage 1 through stage 3 maggots were present in the head and abdomen areas of his body and they laid eggs.

I am leaving out some details at this time, because it is sensitive and I myself am having a hard time writing this. But one must see that Travis has NO REGARD for human life and no sense of descency. He left Shelbys body to be desecrated by the elements, and he knew what could happen. How could he do these things to his father. How could he beat and murder him and then leave his body out for these horrible things to happen to him. What kind of evil gets into a mans heart that he is capable of such horric things such as this. What happens to someones conscience that they aren't bothered or ashamed for the act they commited? Knowing these facts really makes me sick that he may be out in 15 years. It is not enough.

We will add more details as the pain of this subsides, but we feel that the public should know what kind of wickedness is in this man, and to grasp that in fifteen years he may be free to do this to someone else. As we view the crime details we will post some information. Now that the crime is over, the evidence will become public record. We will share some, but not all, as we can get in to view it.

March 4, 2010:

The family went to the Justice Center to retrieve some of the personal items retained as evidence for this crime on March 3, 2010. While we were there, we did manage to talk to the detective who handled the case, and profiled Travis. What we learned from him literally sent chills up and down the spine. What we found that was on the taped confession, is very disturbing. Not only did he premeditate and murder his father, he confessed to planning another serious crime involving kidnapping someone. This man is extremely dangerous, and I hope for the sake of the safety of the public that he remains behind bars for the rest of his natural life. Who knows what else he would have done had he not been caught. It is sad that Shelby’s life had to end so tragically to find out what kind of monster Travis really is, but at least after Shelby’s death, Travis was stopped in his tracks from hurting someone else. There certainly could have been more casualties than just Shelby. It was said, and we all know, that he is a very mentally ill young man and has no regard for hurting anyone to get what he wants. I hope and pray that he never gets out of prison. The information that is on the recorded confession is so bizare and strange. The things he was involved in and talked about is unimaginable.
Please continue to pray for all that loved and were close to Shelby. It is a hard road to go down, and healing seems elusive. At every turn there seems to be something to take you back to that horrible night when he was found murdered. His loved ones are still finding this so hard to cope with. The images and memories of that night are still so haunting.

Information on case and Trial!

We will post any information on the trial here in this section of the blog, as well as information on the case that is available to the public. Also anything that we will do publically for Shelby will be posted in this section.

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Today is a day of mixed emotions for everyone involved in this case. We got to hear Travis plead guilty to the vicious murder of his father. We watched his crocidile tears and his explanation of I made a mistake. Ellen did a beutiful job delivering her impact statement. Yet at the same time it became abundatnly clear that he is really gone. He is never coming back...but at the same time we are on the road to grieving. We thank God for answering our prayers and for everyone who has been a great support to us. Thank you to the law enforcement, CCFHV for their listening ears and advice, for the prayers of everyone who loved Shelby. We have had a great victory today, but still a long way to go. We thank you all.

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Today is March 5, 2010. Word just came in that trial will be commencing on March 9th. As it stands, there is a deal in place and that will be dealt with on Monday March 8th. If Muerdering Travis pleads guilty, then there will be no trial on Tuesday. From our understanding, the deal is that he will get life with the possibility of parole in 15 years. If he goes to trial then he could face life without the possiblity of parole and limited appeals. This is so exciting to the family to hope and pray that the no good monster will be behind bars where he should be. In my heart I feel that God will bring justice according to His will about this. Rest In Peace Shelby! It is almost over!

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Ellen Talked to the prosecuting attorney January 26. Ellen was told to look for yet another postponement in the trial as they are still waiting on evidence from BCII. So the March 9th trial may be postponed. We will keep you posted.

The preliminary hearing was cancelled on March 1. The courts or the victims advocate did not have the descency to call and tell anyone either. His daughter Ellen called the Victims Advocate who said check the website for the court docketts, which as of a few minutes ago still reflect that the hearing went on as scheduled. This is hard on the family that is waiting for justice with no information coming forth from the ones who promise to help you. At any rate, she told Ellen that the defense put forth a lot of motions and supposedly they will have some type of hearing on those Friday coming. We will wait and see if we hear anything. ( i have my doubts as Ellen will have to call and call with the typical i will get back to you routine from the victims advocate)

02/03/10
MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY HEARING FILED WITH CERT OF SERVICE AND NOTICE OF HEARING SET FOR 03/01//2010 AT 9:00 AM.

02/03/10
JUDGMENT ENTRY FILED. MOTION TO COMPEL HAS BEEN COMPLIED WITH.



This is the third trial date that is set. The new trial date is March 9, 2010 at 9 am in Steubenville at the Jefferson County Courthouse. According to Shelby's daughter who called the prosecuting attorney's office, it is delayed as they do not yet have the autopsy report. We will keep you updated.

MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY FILED BY DEFENSE COUNSEL WITH PROOF OF SERVICE AND NOTICE OF HEARING SET FOR MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2010, AT 9:00 AM.

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Shelby's daughter finally did get to talk to someone. She received a good bit of information from the victims advocate. She was told not to look for trial to take place in March as there will most likely be contiuances that will take place. (We know from the below articles why this may be done). This is just my thought here. We did not know of such a person until it was pointed out to us by CCFHV.(thank you) I wonder why the advocate could not make a connection? The people left dealing with this may not know, as we didn't. We definatly need to change some things for the victims rights.

We are planning in the near future a public memorial for Shelby. Please watch for details.

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The family still intends to inter Shelby's ashes in the family plot in Plainfiled, Ohio. The reason that he has not been laid to rest in his grave, is that all of his money was stolen by his son. The family is still paying on the cremation. Shelby does not even have an urn, and his remains are in a small cardboard box. As soon as the family can come up with the money, his remains will be taken to be with the rest of his family.

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We would like to take the time to acknowlege the efforts of the law enforcement who were there on the scene that night and commend them for catching Travis so fast. The friends and family are grateful for all of your talent and efforts in this case. We would like to send a special thank you to the young officer who was first on the scene and took great time and patience working with the family and friends. When we find out your name we will post it.

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Take some time to follow these links and learn how the defense will use questions to intimidate and confuse the witnesses. The best thing people can do when being called as a witness is be prepared. We have already been warned how the defense will attempt to assasinate Shelby's character. They do this to make it look like the defendant was provoked or to raise his stature in comparrsion to the VICTIM. Be prepared to answer in court. Learn these tactics and how to respond. Above all take your time before you answer. If you do not understand the question do not try to answer it. Simply ask for it to be restated, especially if it sounds confusing or one of those vague questions that can be answered two ways. Keep your cool. The defense will attempt to get you flustered so he/she can trip you up. They may even attack your character or accuse you of the crime. And if you loose your cool, you loose credibility as a witness. Their job is to create reasonable doubt among the jurors and we do not want to play into their hands.

http://stupidlawyertricks.com/

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/Defense-Strategies.topicArticleId-

This next link is from New York but has much valuable information

http://bronxda.nyc.gov/commoutreach/ydic.htm

This song on the link below says it best. Goodbye for now, we will meet again!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aUoRT9Ml6I

There are days when we become so grief stricken over this that we feel like the mourning period will never cease. We find ourselves crying at every thought of Shelby or when we glance at his picture or when we hear a certain song playing that triggers a memory, our hearts become filled with sorrow. There are other days when we become so angry at the injustice of his gruesome and ghastly murder that we want to scream as loud as we can so that someone would listen and take notice and help us by working towards justice. There are days when we sink so low into depression that we do not wish to get out of bed and face the day, because the one person who was part of our daily lives is no longer there to talk with, share our hearts desires and fears with, or laugh and enjoy life with. The emotions that we face are literally like some bizarre nightmarish roller coaster ride that never seems to end. We face long ,hard , and painful days and sleepless nights as we think back to that horrible night searching and combing through Yellow Creek to find his lifeless body. We feel alienated by law enforcement who seem to not put much emphasis on this case. (We know they are doing there job, but we the family feel uninformed and avoided). We have many questions that we feel we will never receive answers to.
We wonder how someone as kind and gentle as Shelby, who never could speak a harsh word, who did not raise his voice, who was terribly afraid to even hurt someone else’s feelings, who would rather take the pain upon himself then let another one bear any, why he had to die like he did. We wonder how his only son, whom he loved deeply and tried to help in every possible way mistreated him, verbally, emotionally and allegedly murdered him. We ask ourselves why he had to endure all the things we know he had to in his last moments on earth.
We ask ourselves if the justice system will be fair and we contemplate the outcome of this whole mess. Will we see Shelby Millers death vindicated and avenged in a court of law? Will the people involved in this give enough attention to this man’s case since he was poor? Are they following every lead in the case and taking everything seriously? Will they play the game of watered down injustice and let Travis cop to some fabricated mental plea? Will he get a lesser sentence because there is not murder weapon? Will the murder weapon be found as we believe some people other than Travis knows exactly where it is.

When anyone dies it is a tragic thing to endure and grief follows. When they die of illness or natural causes we have an explanation and we accept it and after a time of mourning begin to put the pieces of our lives back together. But when someone is violently butchered there is no explanation. The questions that linger and go on unanswered are a torture to the ones left behind. The pain of the loss seems to us to be intensified. That is in part because when someone is murdered it means it was not their appointed time to die. Their life was viciously taken from them by another and it leaves a great void in everyone who is connected to the one who was slaughtered. Shelby’s family and friends have all talked and agree ,that as time goes forward ,our pain is worse than in the beginning of this traumatic event. There is no closure for the grieving. His body, by the time it was found, was so badly decomposed we had to have cremation. We did not get to say our goodbyes and Travis stole that from us as well as he stole Shelby’s life.


As Travis inflicted pain on Shelby he injured our hearts and spirits. As he held him down and shot him in the back of the head like a coward, he shot agony into our minds. As Travis dug into the pockets of the deceased s body and turned them inside out to take the money he had on him, he in a sense reached in and turned our lives inside out. As he drug the lifeless corpse that was Shelby Miller to hide in the brush, he drug our lives into the pit of despair. As he fled en route to Tennessee, and went on a shopping spree with Shelby’s stolen credit cards and stolen truck he made the hope flee from our hearts and souls of ever seeing our beloved Shelby again.
We know that the wheels of justice turn very slowly. We know that in all likelihood this will take years to come to fruition. But we are outraged and angry about it. Travis has a private investigator that we the taxpayers are paying for. He has rights in prison, yet he has stolen our right to be with our loved one. Yes we know he has the right to his defense in this country. But it is outrageous that these agencies of law enforcement take their sweet time in these cases. That this nightmare could just drag on an on.
We are incensed at all that has happened and we call for justice to be done. We are justifiably enraged that Shelby had to be beaten, and murdered, that his body was hidden out in the elements. We are angry that Travis could come here and take Shelby away from us. We are irate that he came here at all! Our fear is that he will eventually get out and beware as no one will be safe. He has a vicious and evil heart and if he put his mind to it, would kill again. He must be kept inside prison walls. Our sons, daughters, parents, nieces and nephews , brothers and sisters could be at risk. He may be loose in your community one day to commit these atrocious crimes again. We do not want to see that happen. No one should ever have to endure the pain and anguish that we feel.
The depth of the pain we feel is so severe and it is a wound that is not healing. Family and friends are still not able to face this as a reality. Shelby’s neighbor made a shrine of sorts with his picture and put it up in the front room window. This same neighbor has told the family that she believed that Shelby was an angel sent to live among men as he was so kind hearted. At the time of his death, neighbors tended to the beautiful garden he had planted in his yard to keep it going in his memory. If you go to the store by his house and they know you are a friend or family, they tell you how much they liked him and miss him, some tell this with a tear in their eye.
This man truly left a wonderful mark on the hearts of those he came into contact with. For people who barely knew him, to grieve so hard over his death ,tells you what kind of a special person that he was. We, the ones who knew him, were better people because of Shelby F. Miller. We miss him more and more everyday, and we question our ability to go on without him in our lives. We know that we have fond memories and good times to reflect on, and perhaps one day they will be remembered with joy instead of heartache, but right now we cannot do that. Perhaps once Travis is forever locked behind bars we will begin to have some closure and we can begin down the road of mourning properly. At that time, we can know that we have done all we can as family and friends to avenge Shelby’s vicious and senseless murder.
But for now, we try to take each day one at a time. We mourn hard and try to push back the tears to get through our day. We cry at night when we return to our home from work, and sometimes we wail in the pain and anguish of our lost loved one. Those of us who loved Shelby go through the motions of daily living, but we are not whole. We waken in the morning, we go to our jobs and we come home, yet we have no peace and we know that something is missing and out of place. We know and have a hope that one day we will see our Shelby again and we cling hard to that knowledge. Yet, until that time, our hearts remain heavy and our lives seem so empty.

here are some excerpts from Shelby's Facebook page the night befoe his funeral that people posted to him:

It is the night before your service and I cant stop thinking about you, remembering all the holidays we spent together, you on the couch after we ate and falling asleep stuffed from all the pie you ate, you sure loved your pie didnt ya, it will not be the same without you here, I will miss your laugh and all those pran...ks you pulled on me that I never got to repay. I remember our last chat on the phone, you laughing at me. I wished I would have told you that day that I loved you, you know that I do.You became a part of our family long ago and we are blessed to have had you in our lives.Tonight you are here with us for one last time on this earth. But you will always be here in our hearts Shelby, we love you...........

someone else wrote:

How do I say good buy to you today? I can feel your arms around me hugging me and crying on my sholder with me. I still carry the angel pendant in my car you gave me it was a angel for grandma do you remember? Now it is a Angel of you also. This is so hard to do. Please let not this be true. I know what you would say t...o me today if you were here by myside. But its just to hard. I will miss you truely.

another friend wrote:

leavin u some luv here for all to see. my best friend. i miss you..... u r the world to so many. we will never forget..... much love for the deepest of my heart....... until we meet again on the other shore....... God speed. n we will not rest till debts are paid..

others left poems or just conveyed thier sympathies to him personally as if he were reading them. We miss and love you Shelby!

Here are some links that may be found helpful dealing with the grief and loss of a murdered loved one. I found them to help me see things a little more clearly. I, like most of us, was taking the blame for this. I know that grief is a process and it takes different times and comes out different in each of us. I hope this can help us.

http://www.beliefnet.com/Love-Family/2000/05/Surviving-A-Violent-Death.aspx

http://www.victimsofviolence.on.ca/rev2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=348&Itemid=38

http://www.ohiocops.com/grief/nottosay.html

http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32355

This next link deals with someone being murdered by a family member

http://murdervictims.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=family&action=display&thread=1501

Crying for Shelby's Justice

Shelby Franklin Miller was brutally murdered at Yellow Creek in Jefferson County, Ohio. Standing accused of this murder is his 27 year old son Travis Miller. Shelby tried to reach out to his troubled son and help him and he was repaid by his life being stolen from him.

I have seen first hand how Travis treated his loving father. He would want money to purchase his drugs and when Shelby could not and would not give him money, then he would become violent with him. East Liverpool police were at the house on one occasion as Travis threatened him. Neighbors can attest to Travis threatening harm to his father as they have seen this.

Even after the way Travis treated his dad, Shelby would drive to Lisbon, pick him up, bring him back to work in East Liverpool, then take him home. He paid Travis rent and bought his groceries. He did encourage him to get into drug rehab but Travis would not go. Shelby wanted so much to help his son and reach out to him as any loving father would.

It is important to note that Shelby was in frail health. He had suffered from health issues most of his life and at the time of his death was recovering from strokes. He was no threat to his son. So the fact that big hulking 6 foot something 250 lb Travis (allegedley) killed his father is just sickening. There is no reason for it! Whatever crap gets cooked up it all boils down to this. A conscience choice was made and a life was taken. No arguments! Murder is illegal and the killer must be punished!

Now the trial is approaching. Let us pray that justice will be done and that Travis will not go unpunished for his wicked crimes. The family of Shelby and his friends cry out for justice. We don't want deals or plea bargains. We want to see Travis behind bars where he belongs. he is a dangerous individual.

Notice in this video that the prosecutor says he could face 15 to life. FIFTEEN, are you kidding me? For killing someone? What message does this send to criminals. That is not acceptable. He needs to be put behind bars for the rest of his natural life. In my opinion he needs the death penalty. An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth. In this quote from wtov9.com, We do believe he's a flight risk. We do believe he may pose a risk to other people based on the evidence we have on file -- and we think that we need to keep a tight lid on him," said Prosecutor Tom Straus. If he poses a risk to other people, then fifteen years is not good enough. This is why people commit these crimes because there is no deterent. People need to cry out and demand justice!

Shelby was a good man, a father of three children, a grandfather, brother, uncle and friend to many. In his community people loved and adored him. He was kind and gentle and did not know a stranger. He lent a helping hand to all that he could. Let us remember that SHELBY is the victim and Travis is a piece of trash! Shelby's death has left a void in the lives of all who knew and loved him. One thing we can take comfort in is that as he was forgiven by God he is now in God's prescence.

http://http//www.wtov9.com/news/21907267/detail.html

This link will take you to another one of my blogs. This is my personal reflection and thoughts on the case, and how justice should be dispensed for that monster, Travis

http://www.thoughts.com/index.php?_action=blog_view&id=465234

This picture shows where Shelby was placed after he was murdered. This was a copse of trees and brush which the police have cut down. Shelby's body was hidden under it and laid out in the elements for four days.

Imagine coming down along this wall. The smell of decayed flesh and death fills your nose, and you know that your loved one is there. His body was found close to this wall, hidden under the brush. Time of death was estimated to be around 4 pm on September 21, 2009. Surely someone would have seen or heard something. This is a busy road.

This is at Yellow Creek, Jefferson County, Ohio on Route 213 just down under bridge 55, where the murder took place and Shelby was hidden from his family. Imagine the worry that everyone went through not hearing from him. Imagine the horror of searching the area when his body was found, dead and left out in the elements.

This is Shelby Millers truck. This was allegedly stolen by Travis after shooting his father and driven to Tennessee. Did anyone see this at Yellow Creek that day near Bridge 55?

Columbiana County Victims of Homicide: And Now We Set The Record Straight

http://shelbyfmiller.blogspot.com/2010/01/shelby-calling-for-justice.html

Shelby calling for Justice

Shelby Franklin Miller
March 14, 1953- September 21, 2009


Shelby’s body was found September 24, 2009 along the banks of Yellow Creek in Jefferson County, Ohio hidden under brush. He was allegedly shot and killed by his son Travis N. Miller. Travis then fled to Tennessee , in his fathers truck which he allegedly stole, to be with his mother but before arriving made huge purchases using Shelby’s debit card which he had allegedly stolen from his father. The truck was found hidden behind the mothers house in Tennessee.
Those who knew Shelby knew that he was a gentle soul who always looked out for the welfare of others. Shelby has given food and financial aid to those who were struggling, he would help elderly people with home repairs and lawn maintenance, He would read the bible to people, and some said he just always had time to listen to them when they just needed an ear. He firmly believed and practiced his Christian faith after rededicating his life back to God in 2002, and has attended the Church of the Nazarene in Wellsville where he served as choir director, Sunday school teacher, NYI leader, among many other things.
He loved his family deeply and was proud of all his children and grandchildren, as well as being close to his brothers and sister and many nieces and nephews.
Even with his many illnesses that he struggled with all of his life, he was a hard worker and a good provider for his family. Even after suffering strokes and becoming disabled he continued to remain busy lending his exceptional skills to different programs such as the Columbiana County Guardian ad litem program.
Shelby was loved and well respected by all those that knew him, and will be greatly missed. It is a shame that this senseless tragedy had to take place and that the world was robbed of the chance to benefit from all that Shelby still had to offer, but we know that our loss is Heaven’s gain.
The family is calling for justice to be done! Travis should not get away with this crime. No matter what they say in court or how the defense will try to slander Shelby’s good name, Travis made a conscience choice to come here. If he did not like his dad he could have left. No one has the right except God to take a life. We want justice! Travis must pay! Please pray for this grieving family and for justice to be done. Pray that law enforcement and the prosecution will take this seriously and do what needs to be done to bring Travis Miller to justice! According to Channel 9 news Travis bond was set high as they feel he could be a danger to others, then say he may get 15 to life. We don’t want deals, we desire justice. A man’s life was brutally taken from him by murder. Who would be safe with this kind of monster outside of prison walls? We don’t want him out and he needs to pay for this horrific crime. Justice without mercy!