Unsolved Minneapolis case: Murderer convicted of 1984 murder

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Justice has finally been served in the unsolved murder case of Bob Miller in Minneapolis, which remained unsolved for decades.

What happened?

On Wednesday, 67-year-old Matthew Brown was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court for Miller's 1984 murder in Uptown after agreeing to a plea deal.

The case remained unsolved for nearly four decades, but new DNA testing in 2019 led investigators to Brown, who was arrested earlier this year. Brown pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the possibility of release after 13 years.

Miller's family expressed relief at the verdict. His brother, Jim Miller, talked about how much his children loved their Uncle Bobby and said nothing about the man who took his life.

“I would not dishonor my brother by being angry or hateful or taking revenge,” he added.

background

Brown admitted to following a woman home and breaking into the apartment, but said he did not remember killing Miller, who was living there at the time and confronted him. Nevertheless, Brown agreed that the evidence against him proved his guilt.

To avoid a trial, the Miller family agreed to a deal.

“I agreed to the confession because I didn't want to go through a trial. I don't want that,” said Jim Miller.

Regarding the verdict, Jim Miller acknowledged that Brown could be released at age 80, but said, “That's OK, he'll be an old man then.”