Minneapolis cold case: Killer sentenced in 1984 murder

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Justice has finally been served in a cold case murder of Bob Miller in Minneapolis that sat unsolved for decades.

What happened?

On Wednesday, 67-year-old Matthew Brown was sentenced in Hennepin County Court for Miller’s murder back in 1984 in Uptown after taking a plea deal.

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

Miller’s family expressed their relief at the sentencing, with his brother Jim Miller sharing how his kids loved their Uncle Bobby and said nothing about the man who took his life.

"I wouldn’t dishonor my brother by being angry or hateful or having vengeance," he added.

Background

Brown admitted to following a woman home and breaking into the apartment but says he does not remember killing Miller, who was staying there at the time and confronted him. Despite this, Brown agreed that the evidence against him proved his guilt.

The Miller family agreed to a plea deal to avoid a trial.

"I agreed to the plea because I didn’t want to go through a trial. I don’t want to do it," Jim Miller said.

Reflecting on the sentencing, Jim Miller acknowledged Brown could be released when he's 80 years old but said, "That’s fine, he’ll be an old man then."