Hearing held for man accused of killing Kissimmee police officers

Everett Miller charged in deaths of Sgt. Sam Howard, Officer Matthew Baxter

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A hearing was held Monday afternoon for a man accused of shooting and killing two Kissimmee Police Department officers.

The brief status hearing was held for Everett Miller, who is accused of killing Sgt. Sam Howard and Officer Matthew Baxter in August. Miller faces two counts of first-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon and resisting without violence.

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The judge made sure the state and defense were on the same page in regard to Miller's upcoming trial.

The hearing was held in Osceola County, but Miller was recently transferred to the Orange County Jail amid a use of force investigation. Hope Hicka, a spokeswoman for the Osceola County Jail, said the incident happened on April 1 and staff members felt an internal review was needed. 

Miller's log from the Osceola County Jail show that on April 2, staff members received a tip that Miller was "planning on harming staff when the chance arose."

"Everett Miller was involved in use of force that is currently under an internal investigation. Because it is an ongoing (investigation), I cannot make a statement about it at this time. However, I can confirm that he was moved to Orange County due to the investigation," Hicka said.

Earlier that same day, Miller told employees that they were treating him "like a zoo animal," according to the record. During that interaction, an officer removed Miller from the medical bay and sent him to have private counseling, the report said.

 


About the Author:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.