WEBSTER PLANTATION — A new true-crime cable television show will recount the slayings of a couple in their home more than four years ago and the hunt for and conviction of their killer in its first episode Monday.
Nathaneal K. Nightingale, 35, of Burlington is serving a 40-year sentence in the deaths of Michael “Big Mike” Miller Sr. and his wife, Valerie Miller, both 47, who were killed in the kitchen of their home on Tucker Ridge Road in Webster Plantation on Nov. 28, 2009. Nightingale confessed to the crimes two weeks later.
The show, “Murder Comes to Town,” will air at 9 p.m. Mondays on the Discovery ID network. The series is described as uncovering “the shocking murder mysteries that haunt small town America and the dark secrets that lie just beneath the surface of even the most idyllic community. Following the first person accounts of investigators and townsfolk, each hour-long episode unravels the wild rumors and terrifying truths behind an unthinkable crime and the dark legacy it leaves behind.”
The episode about the Miller murders is titled, “Rumor Has It.” It was filmed in Maine in mid-June. People interviewed for the program included the Millers oldest son and Nightingale’s best friend, Michael Miller Jr., Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson, who prosecuted the case, and defense attorney Jeffrey Silverstein, who defended Nightingale.
“Nestled halfway between Bangor, Maine, and the Canadian border, Webster Plantation is a tight-knit community of less than 70 people,” the episode description said. “So when two of its residents — ‘Big Mike’ Miller and his wife Valerie — are found gunned down in their own home in November 2009, fear and unease overwhelm everyone in town. As rumors spread and police dig into Mike Miller’s business dealings, one of the Millers’ closest friends is able to give a description of a possible female suspect. But while the search is on for the mystery woman, cops uncover a motive — and a killer — much closer to home.”
The episode was not available for review prior to airing.
Maine State Police detectives determined shortly after their investigation began that Nightingale was among the last to see the Millers alive. When police contacted him, Nightingale told them a woman had come to the Millers’ house just as he was leaving on the day they were killed.
He worked with police to create a drawing of the woman, which was released to the media. Once Nightingale was charged and his photo was released, it became obvious that he had described himself as a female.
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