Murder of Aaron Howard

On September 1, 2018, Aaron Kristopher Howard, 37, was fatally shot in an alley outside his home in Abilene, Texas, by his 67-year-old neighbor Johnnie Dee Allen Miller and Miller's 31-year-old son Michael Theodore Miller. The shooting followed a dispute over a dirty mattress that Howard had placed in a trash container shared between the two households. Howard's wife, Kara Box (later Kara Muntean), recorded the confrontation while attempting to alert police to the presence of the armed neighbors. The footage later went viral online, with the Millers nicknamed the "Dumpster Defenders" by some internet commentators; public reaction was divided between characterizations of the shooting as murder and as self-defense.

Background reporting describes Howard as having a documented history of mental health and anger issues, including intermittent explosive disorder for which he took medication, and a criminal record spanning decades with numerous alleged instances of assault, harassment, and threats. In the months before the shooting, Howard had been charged with threatening a public servant and had verbally threatened a mail carrier. Reporting indicates Howard had no prior interactions with the Miller family before the day of the shooting.

The confrontation began when Howard discovered the mattress had been moved from the shared trash container and placed against a fence, leading him to shout at the Miller family. Johnnie Miller emerged armed with a handgun and Michael Miller with a shotgun; Howard was armed with a baseball bat. After an argument of approximately two minutes captured partly on Box's video, Johnnie Miller fired two shots that struck Howard in the chest. Howard threw the bat at Johnnie, and Michael Miller, who was later found not guilty, allegedly fired a shot that struck Howard in the head. The Millers held Box and a witness, Justin Campbell, until police arrived. Howard was treated at the scene by paramedics and later died after being transported to a hospital.

Both Millers were offered and declined 25-year plea deals. They were released on bond in April 2019, re-arrested after police obtained the video of the incident, and later released again on a reduced bond.

The trial, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, began January 24, 2023, at the Taylor County Courthouse. Witnesses included Johnnie Miller's wife, a neighbor who testified to having seen Howard drag his wife by her hair, Justin Campbell, and Kara Muntean. The defense argued the killing was in self-defense; the prosecution, led by Erin Stamey, argued Howard's prior outbursts had not previously resulted in physical harm and noted he had taken his prescribed medication that morning. On January 27, 2023, Johnnie Miller was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment with parole eligibility after seven years; Michael Miller was found not guilty.