Man who killed 2 Kissimmee police officers sentenced to death

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A hearing Friday resulted in a death sentence for the man who killed 2 Kissimmee police officers in 2017.

Everett Miller was convicted in 2019 for the murders of Sgt. Sam Howard and Officer Matthew Baxter. A jury at the time recommended the death penalty. He was sentenced to death for two counts of murder Friday, in addition to being sentenced to 365 days for resisting an officer without violence and 60 days for carrying a concealed firearm in an establishment licensed to dispense alcohol.

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A motion filed by Miller’s attorneys tried to take the death penalty off the table but was denied.

Miller is a Marine veteran who worked as a private defense contractor in Afghanistan.

In 2017, witnesses said he started arguing with Officer Baxter. Baxter called Sgt. Howard to the scene. There was an argument, and later Miller ambushed the two officers and killed them.

Miller did not have a criminal history prior to his arrest for the murders of Baxter and Howard.