Shiprock man sentenced for 2nd-degree murder

ALBUQUERQUE, Aug. 28, 2014

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Alvert Miller, 39, of Shiprock, was sentenced Wednesday in federal district court here to 72 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for his second-degree murder conviction, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Miller was arrested on May 1, 2013, based on a criminal complaint charging him with involuntary manslaughter for killing a 53-year-old Navajo man and driving under the influence of intoxicating liquor on April 27, 2013.

Miller subsequently was indicted on May 29, 2013, and charged with second-degree murder.

According to court filings, on April 27, 2013, Miller was intoxicated when he lost control of the truck he was driving, causing a rollover collision on U.S. Highway 491 near Littlewater, N.M.

When the truck rolled over, the initial impact was on the passenger side of the vehicle, causing the victim, who was a passenger in Miller's truck, to be ejected. The victim died upon impact as a result of blunt force trauma to the face and head.

On April 29, 2013, during an interview with a tribal police investigator, Miller admitted that the rollover occurred because he was driving while intoxicated and fell asleep at the wheel.

On April 23, 2014, Miller pleaded guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victim while driving under the influence of alcohol. In his plea agreement, Miller acknowledged that he knew based on his prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol that his conduct imperiled the lives of others.

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