Claire Miller: Pennsylvania Teen Killed Disabled Sister in Sleep, Cops Say

Claire Elaina Miller is the Pennsylvania teenager accused of killing her older sister while she slept. Police found Helen Miller, 19, stabbed in her bed shortly after 1 a.m. on February 22, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Miller, 14, has been charged with criminal homicide and will be tried as an adult, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. The affidavit states Miller called 911 “hysterical” and confessed to dispatchers that she had killed her sister.

Here’s what you need to know:

Claire Miller Repeatedly Said ‘I Stabbed My Sister’ When Officers Arrived at the House

According to the probable cause affidavit, a “female” called 911 just after 1 a.m. and the dispatcher said she sounded “hysterical” on the phone. Officers responded to the family home on Clayton Road in Manheim Township about five minutes later. They encountered Miller standing outside the house.

Officer Cody Lewis reported in the affidavit that Miller told them “repeatedly” that she had stabbed her sister. Lewis said he spotted blood in the snow near the driveway and on Miller’s pants. The affidavit says it appeared Miller had been trying to wash her hands in the snow.

Manheim Township PoliceClaire Miller, 14, is accused of killing her older sister.

Police said Miller directed them to Helen Marie Miller’s bedroom. According to the affidavit, a blood-stained pillow had been placed over Helen’s face. One of the officers removed the pillow and saw a knife sticking out of Helen’s neck “just above her chest.” Helen’s hands were up near her head and officers noticed a large amount of blood on Helen’s chest and on the bed.

Emergency medical responders attempted to resuscitate Helen but were not successful. The Lancaster County Deputy Coroner pronounced Helen dead at 4:13 a.m. according to the affidavit.

Police say the girls’ parents were asleep during the stabbing.

The Prosecutor Says Claire Miller Will be Tried as an Adult Because ‘Homicide Is Not Considered a Delinquent Act’ In Pennsylvania

Lancaster County Court of Common PleasClaire Miller, 14. was accused of stabbing her older sister to death.

Miller was arrested at the scene. She appeared before Magisterial District Judge David P. Miller a few hours later for an arraignment hearing and was formally charged with felony criminal homicide. Court records show bail is not granted in homicide cases in Pennsylvania.

The prosecutor explained in a news release that Miller would be tried as an adult “because homicide is not considered a delinquent act in Pennsylvania.” Miller was booked into the Lancaster County Prison at 12:20 p.m., inmate records show.

According to the court record, Miller’s next hearing has been moved to March 30. Her defense attorney was listed as Robert David Beyer. Heavy reached out to his legal assistant for comment on the case. We have not heard back.

Miller was a freshman student at the private Lancaster Country Day School, according to Lancaster Online.

Helen Miller Got Around In a Wheelchair & Police Have Not Speculated About a Motive for Her Death

FacebookHelen Marie Miller.

Neither police nor the district attorney’s office has publicly speculated about a motive for the killing. The Patriot-News, citing court records, reported that a witness who claimed to have spoken to Miller over the phone told police Miller had been expressing “suicidal and homicidal thoughts.”

Helen Miller moved around in a wheelchair, as evidenced by photos on her Facebook page and reported by local NBC affiliate WGAL-TV. In the comments section of a Lancaster Online story on Facebook, commenters have written that Helen had cerebral palsy and was non-verbal. Heavy reached out to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office to confirm whether the online chatter was accurate. The DA’s office responded via email, “We are not able to comment on that at this time.”

Based on her Facebook page, Helen loved to work on art projects, including sculptures and painting. She shared a photo in 2014 of what appears to be a watercolor painting. Helen wrote she had won an award for the piece.

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