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Trial of Harrison County man accused in 2014 murder put on hold

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The trial of a Harrison County man accused in a 2014 murder has been put on hold while the defense attorney deals with a serious illness in the family.

Shane Andrew Miller
Shane Andrew Miller

The court gathered for the second day of testimony in the state’s case against Shane Andrew Miller, 22, of Lumberport, Tuesday morning, but only stayed for a short while after the situation was explained.

Miller is facing allegations related to the death of 57-year-old Darrel Golden, whose body was found in a mining pond by a fisherman in March 2014.

On Monday, the state introduced the case to the jury as a crime committed to keep Golden from speaking to police about the alleged burglary of a Clarksburg business Miller was involved in.

(Read coverage from the trial’s first day here.)

If Miller had been charged with the crime he could have had his probation from another conviction revoked and been sent to jail for 7-48 years. Assistant Prosecutor Traci Cook alleged this gave him the motive to kill Golden.

The last witness the state called on Monday was Miller’s accomplice and at-the-time fiance, Tracy Boals.

She testified that Miller was afraid Golden would tell authorities and for that reason “had to die.”

She then recalled her account of March 16, 2014, when they picked up Golden near his sister’s home on Locust Ave. and drove him to the pond near their home.

It was then Miller allegedly hit Golden over the head with a beer bottle, choked him, made Boals help drag the body to the water and then held his head under water until he was dead.

The defense in cross-examination attempted to discredit the testimony and frame Boals as an unreliable witness for multiple reason, including her offering of multiple stories to authorities.

Boals is currently serving her sentence for the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter that was negotiated with the state in exchange for her cooperation in Miller’s case.

The trial is set to resume Thursday at 9 a.m., according to the Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.





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