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Fresno man agrees to longer prison term for murder of Santa Maria teen

By Patrick S. Pemberton - The Tribune (San Luis Obispo)

Tuesday, Mar. 19, 2013 | 11:15 PM

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A day after he withdrew his guilty plea in the Dystiny Myers murder case, Cody Lane Miller of Fresno entered another one Tuesday -- this time for a longer prison term.

In a second day of surprise developments, Miller, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced moments later to life without the possibility of parole. Afterward, his attorney said Miller felt his previous plea deal -- a guilty plea in exchange for a term of 39 years and four months to life in prison -- was too easy.

"He believes that he does not deserve forgiveness," attorney Gael Mueller said.

Miller and four others were charged in the Sept. 26, 2010 murder of Myers, 15.

The plea occurred during a break in the trial of Rhonda Maye Wisto and her son, Frank Jacob York, who are on trial for Myers' murder. After Miller entered his plea, Myers' mother and grandmother were allowed to make statements. Reading from a Bible scripture, Aileen Myers, the victim's mother, said she does not forgive Miller.

"I hope you rot in hell," she said.

Speaking to the family, Miller said he understood.

"I really am sorry," he said as Aileen Myers stared at him, shaking her head.

Mueller said Miller would never have been involved were it not for his meth use.

"He is basically a very religious person, and the drugs took him away from that," she said.

Miller will not testify in the Wisto and York trial. After being attacked by some of the other defendants on the night of the murder, Mueller said, Miller suffered a serious concussion that impacted his memory of that night.

"What he remembers is he did some awful, awful thing," Mueller said.

Go to The Tribune for more developments about this story


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