Bryan Patrick Miller

Summary

True Crime All The Time – Episode 436: Bryan Patrick Miller
Release Date: May 26, 2025
Hosts: Mike Ferguson & Mike Gibson

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Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson dissect the chilling case of Bryan Patrick Miller—infamously known as the “Zombie Hunter”—and his connection to the brutal Phoenix Canal Murders of the early 1990s. The hosts delve deep into Miller’s background, the details of his crimes, the twists and turns in the decades-long investigation, his unusual public persona, and the ultimate resolution of the case. The episode explores not just the facts, but also the psychology and circumstances surrounding both victims and perpetrator, with the hosts blending empathy for the victims and families with their signature candid, occasionally lighthearted banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Phoenix Canal Murders: Setting the Scene

• [04:53] The murders of 22-year-old Angela Brasso (1992) and 17-year-old Melanie Bernas (1993) in Phoenix, Arizona, form the core of the episode.
  • Both women were attacked while riding their bikes along the Arizona canal.
  • Angela was found stabbed, sexually assaulted, decapitated, and partially dismembered, her head missing initially but later discovered in a nearby canal.
  • Melanie was found stabbed, sexually assaulted, with letters carved into her body, and redressed in a bodysuit believed not to be hers.

Quote:
Mike Ferguson: “You think about decapitation and trying to cut someone’s torso in half…I mean, that is really grisly stuff.” [08:33]

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Early Investigation & Missed Leads

• [10:17] Police were confounded by the brutality and peculiarity of the crimes.
• Both crimes yielded a male DNA profile, but no matches in existing databases, causing the case to stall.
• [15:01] In 1994, a tip about a man named Bryan Patrick Miller owning a distinctive teal bodysuit (matching what Melanie was found in) was not pursued by investigators.

Quote:
Mike Gibson: “It seems like that would have been one you would want to pursue, though.” [15:01]

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Miller’s Troubling Background

• [17:30] Miller had a history of violent behavior:
  • Juvenile conviction for stabbing a woman in 1989.
  • While in juvenile detention, his mother found a note detailing plans to abduct, rape, murder, and dismember a woman.
  • Later assaults included two more stabbing attacks (2000 and 2002), one of which he was acquitted for on a self-defense claim.
  • His ex-wife later recounted confessions to at least one more killing and described his violent, sexually deviant behavior.

Quote:
Mike Ferguson: “Why would you just run by somebody at a bus stop and stab them in the back and keep running? Just for kicks? To find out what it feels like?” [18:35]

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The "Zombie Hunter" Persona: Public Face, Dark Secrets

• [21:53] Miller assumed a bizarre local celebrity guise, “The Zombie Hunter,” attending events in costume, driving a former police car emblazoned with his moniker, and interacting with the public.
• Friends and acquaintances described him as “just a goofy guy,” yet also distant and especially awkward with women.
• He was seen as shy and enjoyed the attention his persona brought without having to interact much.

Quote:
Mike Ferguson: “It was said that this guy participated in what were called zombie walks and other events in Phoenix. He was kind of a local celebrity; fans and even police officers liked to take photos with him.” [23:05]

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Breakthrough via Forensic Genealogy

• [16:43] With the rise of forensic genealogy, detective Clark Schwarzkopf worked with Colleen Fitzpatrick and Identifinders International in 2014; DNA evidence pointed to someone with the last name “Miller.”
• Bryan Patrick Miller, already on the person of interest list and with a violent history, became the focus.
• Detectives surveilled Miller and cleverly obtained his DNA from a water glass during a staged job interview at a Chili’s, which matched the crime scene DNA.

Quote:
Mike Ferguson: “On January 13, 2015, investigators learned Brian's DNA matched the DNA from the Canal murder. Brian was arrested that day…” [29:46]

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Arrest, Search, and More Disturbing Revelations

• [31:28] Miller’s house was filled with garbage; neither the murder weapons nor victims’ bicycles were found.
• Investigators discovered, via interviews with his ex-wife Amy, Miller’s confessions to other attacks, including potentially undiscovered victims (notably 13-year-old Brandi Meyer).
• [33:08] Amy described Miller holding a knife to her throat during sex, with police viewing this as clear evidence of sadistic sexual violence.

Quote:
Amy (via Mike Ferguson): “I was avoiding any confrontation with him at all at that point and wanted to be as compliant as possible so that I would say, will he love me enough not to kill me?” [53:05]

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Unsolved Cases & Potential Further Victims

• [37:04]–[40:30] Miller is suspected in additional unsolved cases, including the abductions and murders of children and teens in the Phoenix area.
• Authorities and family members believe he is responsible for more than the two confirmed murders, but some cases remain unresolved due to lack of evidence.

Quote:
Phoenix Sgt. Trent Crump: “To think that someone who was killed in that fashion, that there weren’t other crimes related to this, is unlikely.” [47:04]

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The Insanity Defense & Trial Resolution

• [49:00]–[54:09] Miller’s defense conceded his acts but claimed he was not guilty by reason of insanity, citing autism, dissociative amnesia, and an abusive upbringing.
• Psychologists debated the credibility and influence of these diagnoses on Miller’s responsibility.
• The judge rejected the insanity defense, citing evidence and Miller’s own subsequent denial of guilt.

Quote:
Mike Ferguson: “So he doesn’t even agree with the psychologists who were trying to give his defense some credibility. But then he has to be able to explain his DNA.” [67:48]

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The Aftermath: Sentencing, Denials, and Reflections

• [54:22] Miller was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault, and sentenced to death.
• In his statement, Miller expressed regret to victims’ families and especially to his daughter but continued to distance himself from responsibility for the crimes.
• Even in post-conviction interviews, Miller denied involvement, claiming the state failed to prove his guilt and questioned how his DNA was present.

Quote:
Bryan Miller (in court): “I know I’m different. I didn’t understand completely why. I thought it might have to do with what my mother did to me growing up. I was scared. I was lost. I was confused... I want to get help.” [54:22]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the attack violence
  Mike Ferguson: “But you think about decapitation and trying to cut someone’s torso in half…I mean, that is really grisly stuff.” [08:33]

• On “Zombie Hunter” celebrity
  Mike Ferguson: “We’re talking about very serious stuff here. And then all of a sudden, we’ve got this guy dressing up like a junior Gibby and driving around town in a, you know, police model car with Zombie Hunter and fake blood on it.” [21:53]

• On the banality of evil
  Mike Ferguson: “Would you think this guy’s going to be a killer? Then you see him interacting with his daughter. ‘OK, you’re not…It’s not screaming out cold-blooded killer, right?’” [29:46]

• On Miller’s explanation for damning evidence
  Bryan Miller: “That’s the million-dollar question. If I had a provable answer for that, I wouldn’t be in this situation now, would I?” [57:56]

• On trauma and responsibility
  Mike Ferguson: “But it doesn’t give him permission to do what he did… Not all of those individuals grow up to be killers.” [66:34]

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Timestamps for Significant Segments

• 04:53 – Case introduction: The murders of Angela Brasso and Melanie Bernas
• 10:11–10:41 – Details of Brasso’s discovery, mutilation, and the brutality of the crime
• 13:45–14:35 – Theories on killer’s surgical precision and background
• 16:43–17:30 – Forensic genealogy leads to Bryan Patrick Miller
• 21:53–23:36 – Miller’s “Zombie Hunter” persona
• 29:46 – DNA match, arrest, and initial interviews
• 31:28–33:08 – Search of Miller’s home and ex-wife interviews
• 47:04–47:34 – Suspicions of other cases
• 49:00–56:18 – Trial: defense, psychological testimony, and verdict
• 54:22 – Miller’s courtroom statement
• 57:56–60:07 – Miller’s post-conviction interviews/denials
• 66:34–69:17 – Reflection on trauma and culpability

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The Hosts’ Tone & Final Thoughts

Ferguson and Gibson are respectful of the victims and their families, deliberate in their handling of violent and disturbing details, and occasionally inject dry humor to lighten the weight of the topic. They express skepticism about Miller’s insanity claims, and reinforce the pattern of violence and sexual gratification in his crimes. They end by emphasizing how abuse in childhood does not excuse murder, and reflect on the incompleteness and horror of Miller’s legacy with empathy for those he harmed.

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Summary

This episode of True Crime All The Time offers a thorough, unflinching narrative of Bryan Patrick Miller’s journey from troubled youth to the infamous Zombie Hunter whose horrific crimes haunted Phoenix for decades. The hosts skillfully navigate the grisly facts, psychological theories, forensic breakthroughs, and unanswered questions, providing listeners a comprehensive understanding of both the man behind the persona and the devastating impact of his actions.

Transcript

[Mike Ferguson]

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[Mike Gibson]

Hey. I'm doing good. How about you?

[Mike Ferguson]

Doing great.

[Mike Gibson]

Good.

[Mike Ferguson]

Talked about it on Patreon, but my wife and I had a. A great time this past weekend in Chicago.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

For our 29th anniversary. So that was fun.

[Mike Gibson]

Cool.

[Mike Ferguson]

But I was happy to get home.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, it's always nice to get back home.

[Mike Ferguson]

It is. I like going places, I like doing things. But at a certain point, and everybody knows that point in the trip, you're like, okay, I'm ready to go home. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I miss my home. I miss my dogs.

[Mike Gibson]

Time to go.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yep. So we were happy. We were both happy to get home. Good. Let's go ahead and give our Patreon shout outs. We had Daryl, the girl Daryl, and.

[Mike Gibson]

Her other girl Daryl, other sister Daryl. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yep. Elizabeth Katz.

[Mike Gibson]

There's the cats.

[Mike Ferguson]

Emily Doran.

[Mike Gibson]

Hey, Doran.

[Mike Ferguson]

Trista Campbell jumped Out to our highest level.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, thanks, Trista.

[Mike Ferguson]

Sharon McCall.

[Mike Gibson]

Hey.

[Mike Ferguson]

Sharon Ann Anderson.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, hi, Ann.

[Mike Ferguson]

Alexandra Jewer.

[Mike Gibson]

Good old Alexandra.

[Mike Ferguson]

Angie Villa.

[Mike Gibson]

Voila. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And last but not least, Marissa Franco jumped out at higher than our highest level.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, hey, how's James doing?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, James Franco.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

I just watched a movie the other night with him as a bad guy.

[Mike Gibson]

Really?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it's a Statham. Jason Statham movie called Home Front. Have you seen that one?

[Mike Gibson]

I haven't seen it yet.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's a good one.

[Mike Gibson]

Is it?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. You should check it out.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

And then if we go back into the vault, this week, we selected Kelly Skinner.

[Mike Gibson]

Hey, thanks, Kelly.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, we appreciate the new Patreon support and the continued support. We also had a great PayPal donation from Erica Del Rio. Del Rio.

[Mike Gibson]

I like that.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. So thank you, Erica. Thanks. So, Gibbs, we have an episode out right now on True Crime, All Time Unsolved, where we're talking about 14 year old Jeremy Bright, who disappeared in August 1986 while attending a fair in Oregon.

[Mike Gibson]

I hate those type of cases because it makes me think back in the day when I would take my kids to the county fairs, festivals and all that stuff. I was always so paranoid that maybe if I take my eyes off for a second and they wander off and they would. Yeah, and then I'd be like, where are they?

[Mike Ferguson]

Kids wander off. Yeah, there's no doubt about it.

[Mike Gibson]

Then I'd have to go find them. Make sure, like, you know, and.

[Mike Ferguson]

And, you know, some of the county fairs or state fairs, they're. They're huge.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. It would take. I mean, I hate to say, for a kid to get lost. It wouldn't take a lot.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, no, it's. It's. It's a scary thought. I'm with you on that. All right, buddy. Are you ready to get into this episode of True Crime all the time?

[Mike Gibson]

I am ready.

[Mike Ferguson]

In the early 1990s, two young women were stabbed to death on a bike trail in Phoenix, Arizona. What became known as the Phoenix Canal murders remained unsolved until 2014, when the police identified a suspect who turned out to be a local celebrity known as the Zombie Hunter.

[Mike Gibson]

Zombie hunter?

[Mike Ferguson]

You ever hunt zombies?

[Mike Gibson]

You know, I have not hunted any zombies as of yet.

[Mike Ferguson]

On your bucket list.

[Mike Gibson]

I do have the appropriate zombie warfare material.

[Mike Ferguson]

Okay, so you're prepared to hunt zombies?

[Mike Gibson]

I am. I'm ready for it.

[Mike Ferguson]

You just haven't done it.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I can hunt zombies. And also those mushroom head looking things in that one series. Are we. Are we there yet? Are we? Whatever that.

[Mike Ferguson]

Are we there Yet? It was like a comedy with Ice Cube or something.

[Mike Gibson]

Last of Us.

[Mike Ferguson]

Oh, yeah, those are. Those are two very similar titles. Are we there yet? The Last of Us.

[Mike Gibson]

But I'm prepared for either direction.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's good. That's good to know.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Angela Brasso, a tech worker who recently moved to Phoenix, went out for a bike ride on the evening of November 8, 1992. It was the night before her 22nd birthday. So I did want to ask you, have you ever been to Phoenix?

[Mike Gibson]

I have.

[Mike Ferguson]

It's a really nice place.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I loved it when I was out there.

[Mike Ferguson]

Can get super hot.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, that's part of being out in Phoenix.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I know a lot of people retire out there. Yeah, it's kind of like the. The Florida of the West. Just little dryer. Yes.

[Mike Gibson]

But they always say little drier. It's not so humid out here. It's dry. And I went out there, I said, it's just hot.

[Mike Ferguson]

She left around 7pm Angela's boyfriend Joe stayed behind to bake her cake and expected her home within an hour. When Angela didn't come back, Joe got on his bike and rode around looking for her. He went out three times that night and couldn't find Angela. Joe called Angela's friends and even her mother in Pennsylvania before eventually reporting her missing. So Joe sounds like a pretty good boyfriend. You know, he's baking a cake, but obviously, Gibbs, he gets very worried about her. You know when you say, I'm going out for a bike ride, I'll be home in an hour. And it gets past that point and people become worried. And this is 1992. Right. There's no Find my Friend or Find Locate my iPhone app thing, whatever. You know, I'm trying to come up with the names of these.

[Mike Gibson]

Whatever it would be called.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, there's none of that. Now, there were cell phones in 1992, but I don't know how many people had them.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

I know for a fact I didn't have a cell phone in 1992.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, I had mine because of the work I was in.

[Mike Ferguson]

That you can't talk about.

[Mike Gibson]

Yes.

[Mike Ferguson]

That you're sworn to secrecy forever. On November 9, officers found Angela's body in the field next to her apartment. Angela had been stabbed in the back, sexually assaulted and decapitated. It appeared that the killer tried to cut her torso in half, per NBC. Wow. Now, we talk about a lot of vicious murders. Brutal. But you think about decapitation and trying to cut someone's torso in half. I mean, that is really grisly stuff.

[Mike Gibson]

Sick individual all the way around. But, like, extra to go to that extent.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, because you think about you've murdered someone.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

You've. You've committed the ultimate sin, and you've done the worst thing that you could do. Now, what are you thinking? Why are you going to cut someone's head off? Are you going to try to make it harder to identify that person? Well, if so, you're probably not leaving the body next to that person's apartment.

[Mike Gibson]

And then to try to cut that torso in half.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Angela was found wearing only her socks and tennis shoes. Her bloody clothing was scattered at the scene. Angela's bike and her head were gone.

[Mike Gibson]

Did the guy drive off on her bike with her head? You know, that's what you're thinking if you're at the scene, right?

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, that's what I'm thinking now, but it's also pretty strange to visualize it is a guy riding a bike down the street with a head. Retired detective Robert Walmsley later testified about finding Angela's body. As quoted by AZ family, he said, I thought it was a mannequin. It was very white. I was inching my way up to see the head, to see her eyes. Then I could determine if it was a mannequin, somebody playing a sick joke, or if it was a body and I found the head missing. Then you hear that so often from people that, oh, you know, I thought it was a mannequin at first.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I think that would be natural. Right. I mean, why would you just assume automatically it's going to be a real body?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I get that. But here's a detective thinking, I didn't even think that this was a body. I thought this was a mannequin. Eleven days later, Angela's head was found in the Arizona canal, almost two miles away from her body. Due to the lack of decomposition, investigators believe the killer kept her head in a refrigerator before dumping it.

[Mike Gibson]

You know, I don't like certain things in my refrigerator, period, let alone body parts.

[Mike Ferguson]

But I'm really struggling with. With the. The why of all of this.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

You know, the killer sexually assaults the victim, murders the victim, and then, you know, decapitates her, tries to cut up, you know, the rest of her body, possibly refrigerates the head, and then two days later, dumps it in a body of water.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. You know, we've had other cases where we had the killer keep the head, keep the feet, you know, for certain reasons, and then maybe eventually they dispose of them. But I remember them holding on to them where this individual only had it for a few days and said, all right, I better get rid of it, and tossed it into the, you know, the canal.

[Mike Ferguson]

And again, was that to try to throw the authorities off track? You, you wouldn't think it would be too hard for them to figure out who this person was. It'd be different if, if she was found 30 miles away from where she lived or 50 or, you know, something like that. Ten months later, on September 21, 1993, 17 year old Melanie Burnas went out for a bike ride while her mother was out at dinner. Biking was one of Melanie's favorite pastimes, as well as spending time with her friends. That evening, Melanie rode along the Arizona canal to a restaurant near the mall where her friend was working. They planned to meet up for a nighttime ride. When her friend Jessica finished work, Melanie rode off. And that was the last time Jessica saw her. Melanie wasn't home when her mother returned from dinner. On the morning of September 22, Phoenix resident Charlotte Pottle was out biking with her daughter when she rode through a puddle. She told 48 Hours. I could tell that it was a puddle of red. It was a puddle of blood.

[Mike Gibson]

What a sight.

[Mike Ferguson]

Charlotte then noticed drag marks that went towards a tree in the canal. She went home to call the police. Officers found Melanie's body in the canal. She had been stabbed in the back and sexually assaulted. According to Dateline, letters were carved into Melanie's body. She was dressed in a teal bodysuit, and one of her friends said Melanie didn't own a teal bodysuit, leading police to believe the killer took off her clothes and redressed her in the bodysuit. Melanie's bike was also missing. Okay. I mean, in both of these murders, number one, they're tragic. You know, two young women lost their lives. But there are some very strange facets to both of them. In this one, there's a theory that the killer undressed and then redressed Melanie in something different, something that he would have had to have brought with him.

[Mike Gibson]

And why did he want her in that?

[Mike Ferguson]

And why carve letters? Why do these things, which presumably are post mortem, why do them? In both instances, the same DNA profile was found at both crime scenes. And meaning the same individual killed Melanie Burnas and Angela Brasso. Additionally, Melanie and Angela were stabbed in the same spot on their backs. The precision of the wounds caused investigators to look into the possibility that the killer was a surgeon or special forces operative.

[Mike Gibson]

I'm guessing because they knew exactly in the back. Where to stab somebody, to kill them and.

[Mike Ferguson]

Or incapacitate them.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Very, very quickly. Like with one blow.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

But there was no match for the DNA and any databases. And the Phoenix Canal Murders case eventually went cold. In 1994, the police received a tip suggesting a man named Brian Patrick Miller might have had a distinctive teal bodysuit similar to the one Melanie was found in. According to 48 hours. It seems like investigators didn't pursue this leap at the time.

[Mike Gibson]

It seems like that would have been one you would want to pursue, though.

[Mike Ferguson]

You would think, yeah, I don't know. That teal is the most common color of bodysuits, and especially with men.

[Mike Gibson]

Exactly.

[Mike Ferguson]

So why would this guy have a teal bodysuit?

[Mike Gibson]

I think you'd want to know.

[Mike Ferguson]

The Canal Murders case was reopened in 2011. Phoenix Detective Clark Schwarzkopf had to work through a list of more than 600 persons of interest. So obviously they had worked this case. Right. For a number of years. But 600 persons of interest, that's a lot of people to go through.

[Mike Gibson]

That really is a lot.

[Mike Ferguson]

In late 2014, investigators spoke to forensic genealogist Colleen Fitzpatrick at a conference. Her company, Identifinders International, developed software that could utilize public genealogy databases to find matches to crime scene DNA. The Phoenix police sent her the DNA from the crime scenes. And I think we've talked about Colleen Fitzpatrick before. She is highly intelligent, Morph. And I had her on an episode of Criminology many years back and I was blown away by her knowledge.

[Mike Gibson]

I think she would probably be somebody that I could finally have a real conversation with.

[Mike Ferguson]

On the same intellectual level. Yeah, probably. So they have the DNA, her company does. And they found the last name Miller. There were six individuals on the person of interest list with this last name. One of them was 42 year old Brian Patrick Miller, who had a juvenile conviction for stabbing a woman. By 2014, Miller was a divorced father raising his teen daughter. He worked at an Amazon warehouse.

[Mike Gibson]

I think all the red flags should be going off. This is the guy that somebody said had a teal body suit. This guy had a conviction when he was younger for stabbing a woman.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. And we know both victims were stabbed in the back. Yeah, I get what you're saying. According to 48 Hours, Brian spent a few years in Hawaii with his parents. His father died in a motorcycle accident several years later. Brian and his mom moved to Phoenix. Growing up, Brian had violent outbursts in school and had difficulty relating to other children.

[Voicemail Callers]

Children.

[Mike Ferguson]

And I know you experienced some of these same things. Violent outbursts. As a youngster in school, you just had trouble relating to the other children because, like you said, they were not on your intellectual level. You couldn't find anyone to have a deep conversation with.

[Mike Gibson]

There was a difference.

[Mike Ferguson]

At just 16 years old, Brian committed a serious violent crime. In May 1989, a woman named Celeste Bentley got off at the same bus stop as Brian. Celeste told 48 Hours, well, when he had ran by me, I thought he had just hit me. But then I reached back to my back and I pulled my hand up and I saw the blood. Celeste managed to get to her workplace, and her co worker called for help. Thirty minutes later, when she was still in the ambulance, the police informed her. They found the suspect and wanted to show him to her. Celeste identified him as her attacker. Brian pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to juvenile detention until he turned 18.

[Mike Gibson]

Why would he do something like that?

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, you know, the why, right? Is a question that we ask a lot. Why do these people do what they do? Why do people kill? But I understand where you're going. Why would you just run by somebody at a bus stop and stab them in the back and keep running just for kicks? To find out what it feels like. The rush. I. I don't know.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Are you just, like you said, trying to gauge how it feels.

[Mike Ferguson]

While Brian was in juvie, his mother Ellen, found the disturbing note in his room. The note was titled plan videotaped and detailed a plot to kidnap, rape, murder, and dismember a woman.

[Mike Gibson]

Now, anybody finding this would be disturbed by it. But your mom, the mom finding this. Oh, it couldn't have been a good moment for her.

[Mike Ferguson]

No. Because, you know, as a mom, you're like, this is my little boy. You know, this is not the person I raised. What? Who did I raise here? Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, you'd be so upset just over rape, and then you see murder and then dismember.

[Mike Ferguson]

What the heck? Ellen gave the note to the police and refused to let Brian move back in with her. He moved into a halfway house after he was released, so obviously, she kind of abandoned him. She was that worried.

[Mike Gibson]

I think you should be somewhat worried, especially if he's living in the same house with you.

[Mike Ferguson]

Brian got married in 1997. He and his wife Amy, moved to Everett, Washington, and. And had a daughter. Brian stabbed another woman on May 23, 2002. That night, he picked up Melissa Ruiz Ramirez, who was walking down the street. Melissa recognized Brian because she had seen him talking to one of her friends. She got in his car and said she needed to make a call. Brian drove her to his workplace to use the phone. Out of nowhere, Brian ran at her with a knife and stabbed her in the back. They struggled over the weapon. Melissa was able to escape and call the police.

[Mike Gibson]

I'm just trying to imagine how this all went down if you were Melissa, you know, I mean, you're thinking, okay, I'm going to use this phone. Next thing you know, you look up and this guy's running at you with.

[Mike Ferguson]

A knife and stabbing you in the back. And also not a stranger. Right. Somebody that you know, at least on some level. Brian was arrested and claimed he stabbed Melissa in self defense. He said she walked in off the street and asked to make a call and then tried to rob him at knifepoint. Okay, he's got a story. And in December 2002, a jury acquitted Bryan a first degree assault with a deadly weapon.

[Mike Gibson]

So clearly they bought his story, or.

[Mike Ferguson]

At the very least, they were conflicted. Brian's criminal history stood out to Detective Clark Schwarzkopf. Schwarzkopf noticed that Brian's note detailing his plot to murder a woman had similarities to the Angela Brasso case. In the note, Brian described how he wanted to decapitate a woman and preserve the head.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, it sounds like very similar to what had happened.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, and we talked about, you know, what was the reason to remove the head and what would be the reason to put it in the refrigerator if that's what happened the way police suspected. Well, we might be learning what. Detective Schwarzkopf looked into Brian's social media and discovered his online Persona as the zombie hunter. Brian dressed in a costume, wore a mask, and carried a fake gun. He drove around in an old police cruiser with zombie hunter written on the back. The car was decorated with fake blood, and he often put a mannequin in the back seat. Well, it's hard not to laugh at that. Right. We're talking about very serious stuff here. And then all of a sudden, we've got this guy dressing up like a, like a junior Gibby and driving around town in a, you know, police model car with zombie hunter and fake blood on it. Now, I know you often put a mannequin in your car, but it's only so that you can use the lane on the highway that's reserved for more than one person.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, it's important to use that commuter.

[Mike Ferguson]

Lane, you know, but it was said that, you know, this guy participated in what were called zombie walks and other events in Phoenix. And he was kind of like a local celebrity fans and even police officers like to take photos with him.

[Mike Gibson]

Okay, see, you just got to get a old police car and call yourself Fergie the Zombie Killer and you'll be very famous locally.

[Mike Ferguson]

I I think I'm good. Yeah, I think I'm good. You know folks, for most of my life, banks have been pretty much all the same, sometimes a little stuffy. You know, they have their fees, but Chime is changing the way people bank. No monthly fees, no overdraft fees, and their app is amazing. They unlock smarter banking for everyday people with products like MyPay, which gives you access to up to $500 of your paycheck anytime and allows you to get paid up to two days early with direct deposit. You can also earn up to 3.5% APY on savings. That's eight times higher than a traditional bank, and they're rated five stars by USA TODAY for customer service. If you need to talk to someone, you're going to get a real human 24. 7 this is the way that banking should have been all along, and my younger self really would have benefited from Chime Chime is not just smarter banking. It's the most rewarding way to bank join the millions who are already banking fee free today. It just takes a few minutes to sign up. Head to chime.comtcat that is chime.comtcatt Chime.

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[Mike Ferguson]

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[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I think it probably would have been.

[Mike Ferguson]

You don't have to talk, which might not be the easiest thing for you to do right to other people, but you have people wanting to take pictures with you just because you're wearing this mask and you know, you're calling yourself the zombie hunter.

[Mike Gibson]

Got some cool get up you're wearing. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Braverman said that Brian was always polite, but there was something different about him. He said he just had like a distance to him where if you were talking to him, looking him in the eye, he was just like he was somewhere else. There was something with women. You didn't see him using the car to go, hey, ladies, take a picture of me. He's doing that with the police. So there was something with ladies that he didn't like or that he was not comfortable with.

[Mike Gibson]

That's interesting.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, that his friend would say that. In December 2014, Detective Schwarzkopf began surveilling Brian. He knew he needed to obtain his DNA to compare to the sample on file. During one of Brian's breaks at the Amazon warehouse, Schwarzkopf approached his car and offered him a job. He told Brian that he had been hired as a security consultant for a nearby store and offered him a position as a security officer. They scheduled a meeting to fill out a job application and met at a chili's restaurant on January 2, 2015.

[Mike Gibson]

Wait, I'm just trying to picture this. Was he like, hey, I know you're the zombie hunter, and if you can hunt zombies, I'm pretty sure you can be a, you know, a security consultant over here for me. So let's get together and talk about this, because I need a zombie hunter on my team.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I don't know how the conversation went, but it does seem strange that if you're on break from your job, somebody just comes up and offers you another job.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Doesn't really happen. Does it not?

[Mike Ferguson]

It's never happened to me. Brian drove his zombie hunter car to the restaurant and brought his daughter with him. Despite his criminal history, Schwarzkopf was not fully convinced Brian was the killer, especially when he saw how Brian interacted with his daughter in a loving manner. Still, he was a potential suspect. Because of the genetic genealogy results, Schwarzkopf figured Brian would be eliminated and then he would move on to a new suspect on the list. And I get that, right? You've got this guy. He's the zombie hunter. He's known locally. Would you think this guy's going to be a killer? Then you see him interacting with his daughter. Okay, you're not. It's not screaming out cold blooded killer, right? No, but we know some people are like that.

[Mike Gibson]

Sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

As soon as Brian left the restaurant, undercover detectives collected his water glass. On January 13, 2015, investigators learned Brian's DNA matched the DNA from the Canal murder. Brian was arrested that day and charged with two counts of first degree murder. He denied killing anyone, and when he was told that his DNA was at the crime scenes, he responded. I don't see how that's possible. What are you going to say, Gibbs? Well, okay, you got me. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. The jig is up. Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, deny, deny, deny. Of course, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, people just, you know, continued to deny.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, the problem was he. He met somebody at a restaurant and used their glass and serviceware. Probably. You know, I. I always bring my own glass and serviceware wherever I go.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. I always think it's strange when you have that. That classical cup that you pop up and you ask the waitress or whoever, the server to pour the coke and that you have your K bar spork that you, you know, pull out of your pocket.

[Mike Gibson]

It's a strange scene, but it's moments like this, it shows you it pays off.

[Mike Ferguson]

It does. It does. Especially for someone like you. Investigators obtained a warrant for Brian's home. They were surprised to find that the house was full of garbage to the point that it was difficult to walk anywhere. There was only a narrow path to get to the bathroom, kitchen and tv. Okay, that does not sound like, you know, the way that That I want to live. It sounds like an episode of Hoarders.

[Mike Gibson]

Exactly what it sounds like.

[Mike Ferguson]

Neither the murder weapon nor the missing bicycles were found. And that doesn't surprise me at all. I mean, you know, we are talking about decades later now, okay, this guy is a hoarder. There's a chance that he would keep some of that stuff. But after the arrest, Detective Schwarzkopf wanted to talk to Brian's ex wife, Amy. Amy said she was only 19 when she met Brian in 1996. They got married less than a year later and moved to Everett, Washington. They were separated by 2005. During their marriage, Brian confessed to attacking two girls, one in Phoenix and one in Everett. He told Amy that he stabbed a teen girl with an intellectual disability. It happened after he was released from juvie, while he was living in an apartment operated by a Mennonite outreach program north of central Phoenix. According to Brian, the girl knocked on his door trying to sell girl Scout cookies or something similar. He grabbed her, pulled her inside, and cut her throat. Wow.

[Mike Gibson]

This is a reason why you should not go to door to door.

[Mike Ferguson]

No. Especially by yourself. It should never happen. He said that he put her body in the bathtub. He intended to preserve the body with cold water, but he accidentally ran hot water, which sped up decomposition. Brian dismembered the body and put the remains in a trash can, which he left in his apartment until trash day. When neighbors complained about the smell, Brian told them it was rotten meat.

[Mike Gibson]

So that's that, honey, you know, I just wanted to clear the air and let you know what I did, you know. So what's for dinner when we eat?

[Mike Ferguson]

I'm shocked. I. I get it. You know, you don't want to start out the relationship with anything hidden, but I didn't know that would apply to something like this.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, that's a. That's a lot to take in right there.

[Mike Ferguson]

And what do you do if you're on the other end receiving this information?

[Mike Gibson]

I think you should run first.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, obviously she didn't. I mean, they were together for nine years now. Amy said she never reported Brian because she wasn't sure he was telling the truth. She thought he might be trying to intimidate her. She was also afraid of him and wanted to be a good wife.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, she's in a tough situation because one, she's not sure if he's really being honest. It maybe inside she maybe felt maybe he was being honest, but you don't want to believe it. I don't think you would ever want to Believe somebody you're in love with could do something like that.

[Mike Ferguson]

But she also said she was afraid of him. Yeah, and that could have played a big part in as well. They were still married in 2002 when Brian spent months in jail for stabbing Melissa Ruiz Ramirez. Brian sent Amy multiple letters. At first the letters professed his innocence, but then they became sexually deviant with Brian describing what he was going to do to her when he got back. Amy told Detective Clark Schwarzkopf that Brian displayed a sexually violent side of himself that she had never seen before. And there were instances where he held a knife to her throat during sex. Because who wouldn't find that arousing? I mean, if you're on the receiving end of that, having a knife held to your throat during sexy time.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, I mean if it is a.

[Mike Ferguson]

KA bar, this it, that is a sexy knife. But this is obviously in the case of Brian Miller. All for him.

[Mike Gibson]

Oh, for sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

I mean that, that couldn't have been a good experience for her at all. But to him, I'm sure it was sexually arousing because, you know, violence and sex to some people go together.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, I'm sure it got him off.

[Mike Ferguson]

Or go hand in hand. But I'm thinking, Gibbs, by now she's maybe thinking that what he told her is probably more likely true than not right about killing a woman.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, how could she feel anything else?

[Mike Ferguson]

At this point, investigators felt confident that there were other unsolved cases that could be linked to Brian Miller. Phoenix Sergeant Trent Crump told AZ family to think that someone who was killed in that fashion, that there weren't other crimes related to this is unlikely. In September 2015, the police submitted first degree murder charges against Brian Miller for the presumed death of 13 year old Brandi Meyer. Authorities believed Brian killed Brandi based on the details of his confession. Shared by Amy. Brandi went missing on May 26, 1992. She was out collecting pledges for a school reading project and needed six more dollars. She was last seen at 7pm at Smitty's store near Cave Creek and Hatcher Roads, about two doors down from Brian's home and heading in that direction. Authorities learned that Brian lived just two blocks away from Brandi. Now, she wasn't a girl Scout. She was seeking donations for a fundraiser. Brandy was developmentally delayed. She was 13, but mentally was closer to age 9 or 10. This also lined up with details from Brian's confession.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah, sure does.

[Mike Ferguson]

So there's two things I want to talk about here. The first is, you know what this Sergeant Crump said, to think that a person like this hasn't committed other crimes is unlikely. And I think that's true. We talk about it quite a lot. In my mind, the people that we talk about, many of them especially serial predators, probably have a lot more victims than we ever know about. The second is, you remember when we were young, it was not that uncommon for young kids to go door to door. It seemed like every year the school had multiple fundraiser things. You were supposed to sell candy, chocolates. Now, obviously, if you were a girl scout or a boy scout, you were supposed to go door to door selling things. And often back then, I think a lot of parents just let their kids go by themselves.

[Mike Gibson]

For sure. Yeah. I mean, I know my parents did. Well, you better get out there before the other kids hit those houses. Okay. You want to come with me? No. They just sent you out?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

And get the names.

[Mike Ferguson]

And I'm sure some kids do go out today by themselves, but more often than not, when a child comes to the front door at my house, their parent or even both parents are standing back a ways.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

But they're with them the whole time they're out.

[Mike Gibson]

And then you have the parents that say, you know what? I'm not even going to send you. I'm going to take it to the office. I'll get my co workers to do it, and then you don't have to worry about it.

[Mike Ferguson]

That's what I used to do. You did As a manager, there was a little extra pressure. Right. When your manager gives you the thing, you're like, oh, I got to buy something.

[Mike Gibson]

What's her face just went in there and bought something. So now I gotta buy something, because if I don't, she's gonna look better than me.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, it was tied to your raises.

[Mike Gibson]

So, you know, kind of felt like it. Sure wasn't performance driven.

[Mike Ferguson]

The people from the Mennonite Outreach program recalled that the odor coming from Brian's apartment was so bad, they cleaned it while he was gone. They didn't examine the trash they threw in the dumpster. And. And it wasn't clear what was causing the odor. A forensic search of the apartment in 2015 yielded few clues. There was blood in the bathroom, but it didn't match Brian or anyone else connected to the case. And I think it's hard, right, to search an apartment so many years later because how many people have lived in that apartment since?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. I mean, and if you did find something, how could you really use it during a trial?

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it would be much Easier to poke holes in it.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

Authorities also think Brian might be connected to another 1992 case. The day after Brandy went missing, the decomposed remains of a slightly older girl were found in the desert of northeast Phoenix. It wasn't until 2011 that those remains were identified as 16 year old runaway Shannon. Shannon was in the foster care system. The police received 40 reports of her running away. These reports stopped in late 1991 and no one reported her missing when she ran away for the last time.

[Mike Gibson]

A very chronic runaway.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Which I do think, you know, does that make it tougher for police? Right. They've received 40 reports. But when she actually does go missing missing, no one reports her missing. Authorities have not ruled out Brian's involvement in Shannon's death. Authorities brought Brandi Meyer's case to prosecutors in late 2015, but the county attorney declined to press charges due to a lack of evidence. Kristen Dennis, Brandy's sister, said in an interview with AZ Family, her case is considered solved but not resolved. We know who killed her. We know every detail. We know why we didn't get her body back. We know the color of the trash bag. I do think it, it would be hard to prosecute a case, you know, 23 some odd years later. Not impossible, but obviously harder.

[Mike Gibson]

Challenging for sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Brian told 48 Hours he had no involvement in Brandi's disappearance and never confessed to his wife that he killed a young girl. Based on his confession, Brian was linked to a third attack. Shortly after his arrest. On October 9, 2000, 14 year old Victoria Mickelson was stabbed while walking on a popular bike path in Everett. Before school, Victoria was taking a new route because a girl at her normal stop was bullying her. She left her house after 6am and saw a few joggers. So she wasn't concerned when she saw a man enter the trail from the woods. She did think he was creepy and he was disheveled as if he'd been sleeping outside. Victoria noticed that when she sped up, the man increased his pace. She looked back at him about 10 times and each time he was closer to her. This lasted for about five minutes until she turned around again. Victoria told the Arizona Republic. I turned around to the right and he wasn't there. And I turned around to the left and he put his arm around my neck. The man stabbed her in the neck and stomach. Fueled by adrenaline, Victoria felt no pain and was able to break free and kick the knife out of the man's hands. They both went for the knife, but Victoria got it first. She held it tight and curled up in the fetal position. After a brief struggle, the man said he wouldn't hurt her if she gave the knife back. Victoria complied.

[Mike Gibson]

That would be tough to do.

[Mike Ferguson]

Give the knife back? Yeah, yeah, it would be because you're putting a lot of trust in this person. But also, how much of a badass is this 14 year old girl? I mean, this man attacks her with a knife, grabs her from behind and she does a Jean Claude Van Damme and kicks the knife out of his hands and then is able to get to it before he can get to it. Very impressed, Victoria recalled. I couldn't process anything. I just kept thinking I wanted to get to my best friend's house and tell her and be able to get to school today. If I miss school today, I'm screwed. The man stabbed her two more times in the back and strangled her until she lost consciousness. She remembers watching him walk away.

[Mike Gibson]

This is why you don't give the knife back.

[Mike Ferguson]

Victoria was saved by a bystander who she believes interrupted the attack. In total, she was stabbed 17 times. One wound was an eighth of an inch from her aorta and doctors had to remove over a foot of her intestines. Oh wow. Yeah, I mean, very horrific. It's a wonder she survived. But I go back to what she said, that she couldn't process anything in her mind. She was thinking about getting to school.

[Mike Gibson]

Absolutely.

[Mike Ferguson]

And she even said it, if I miss school today, I'm screwed.

[Mike Gibson]

I got to do whatever I can to get there.

[Mike Ferguson]

But meanwhile she's in a fight for her life, but she's thinking about school. And again, how would we all react? How would we all think in kind of that type of situation and nobody really knows until they're in it, especially if you're 14 years old.

[Mike Gibson]

Well, she reacted and did what she had to do.

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[Mike Gibson]

Maybe they have a good defense there.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, at least they're going to mount something. After he was arrested. And Brian told the police that Ellen started physically abusing him when he was just five. Ellen was a detention officer and used her security belt to beat him. Brian claimed that Ellen also exposed him to violent pornography in violent movies as a child.

[Mike Gibson]

Now his mom's not here to defend herself.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, and that's what I was thinking, right. She died in 2010. He can pretty much say whatever he wants. And there's no way for her at least to argue it. Psychologist Dr. Bethany Brandt testified that Brian developed dissociative amnesia and could not remember certain traumatic events. Because of this diagnosis, he had no memory of the murders. Dr. Brand testified that Brian described his mind in an unusual way. Parese family. She said he feels like different TVs are playing in his head. The state asked Dr. Brand if it was her opinion that someone with dissociative amnesia could commit murder. She answered yes, and explained there could be a part of them, a self state that has very violent, revengeful feelings, fantasies and wishes, and another part that doesn't know about that. And so in that case, it could contribute. But in other cases, there's plenty of dissociative amnesic patients out there that don't commit murders. Dr. Brand also said Brian never confessed to the murders. She said, I think the most important thing is he doesn't remember these murders. To not remember doing something so egregious as murders, that's incredibly dysfunctional. So, Gibbs, to me, the not guilty by reason of insanity defense is a real tricky one that, to my knowledge, is not successful very often. I think more often than not, it fails. But, you know, here you have a psychologist testifying that, you know, he has no memories of the murders. And what's that based on him saying that he doesn't remember the murders?

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah.

[Mike Ferguson]

How do you know? I get it. You're a trained psychologist, but you're not a mind reader.

[Mike Gibson]

Maybe he's a master manipulator, as many criminals are.

[Mike Ferguson]

Also, do you think he has a really big incentive to say something or say a number of things that are in his favor? Now, I'm not saying he didn't go through trauma. I don't know. What I am saying is that to me, a lot of this stuff is very tricky, especially when it comes to an insanity defense.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. And if he didn't go through all that, this is going to be his biggest performance that it'll ever have to play out.

[Mike Ferguson]

Dr. Mark Cunningham, a forensic psychologist, testified that Miller's autism disorder likely compounded the impact of his mother's psychological abuse. Ellen deprived Brian of food, isolated him from friends, beat him, and abused his pets, Dr. Cunningham testified, as quoted by 12 News. His mother told him there were strangers out there who would kidnap him, rape him, and kill him. The threat to genitally mutilate a child. Why holding a knife or scissors is among the most grievous psychological terrorisms that can be directed to a child or any other human being.

[Mike Gibson]

That would be very horrifying.

[Mike Ferguson]

But is it true? Right. That's the big question. If that really happened to him, that would be horrifying.

[Mike Gibson]

And like we said earlier, Ellen's not here to deny or to agree to what he's saying.

[Mike Ferguson]

Dr. Cunningham said that this abuse damaged Brian's ability to relate to others in the world. His zombie hunter Persona was a coping mechanism to avoid personal interactions. The prosecution argued that Brian's autism diagnosis was invalid and disputed his disassociative amnesia defense. Prosecutors pointed out that Brian remembered details of other stabbings, such as the 1989 stabbing and the 2002 stabbing. Prosecutors also called on his ex wife, Amy, to testify. She testified that she never asked Brian to stop when he was violent during sex because, as she said, I was avoiding any confrontation with him at all at that point and wanted to be as compliant as possible so that I would say, will he love me enough not to kill me?

[Mike Gibson]

I'm sure she felt nervous having a knife up against her neck, thinking, I'm going to tell him to stop it right now, knowing that he could maybe take it too far.

[Mike Ferguson]

But just think about that statement. Will he love me enough not to kill me? That's not something that most significant others need to worry about on a daily basis.

[Mike Gibson]

Nobody should ever have to worry about that.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, no. It just tells you the state of the relationship. On April 11, 2023, the judge found Brian guilty of two counts of first degree murder, kidnapping, and two counts of attempted sexual assault. During his sentencing phase, Brian spoke in court for the first time saying, I'm not looking for sympathy today. This time is for the family and the friends of the victims. I cannot imagine what pain they have endured for all these years. I accept the court's decision, and I'm hoping this trial and my convictions have provided some measure of relief for the families. I know this has been a long and painful process for Everyone. I wish I could provide answers for the questions you have. I know I'm different. I didn't understand completely why. I thought it might have to do with what my mother did to me growing up. I was scared. I was lost. I was confused. I was not allowed to express myself. I want to get help and. And try to open up the parts of me I know I have shut out. I want to do whatever I can to help my daughter. She means the world to me. And if there's anything I can do to make this part of her life easier, I will do it. I was not a perfect father, but I tried my best. And I'm sorry for the damage this experience has caused her. I miss her. He ended by saying, I hope everyone can find some measure of peace going forward. And listen, you know, we dissect a lot of times what these killers say, you know, especially after they've been convicted. Now, he's saying a lot of the right things, sure, but you just. You never know. Is this heartfelt or is this what he knows he needs to say to play the part?

[Mike Gibson]

It could be a combination. You know, I think he wants to apologize to his daughter. I don't know if all the other stuff matters, but I think his daughter was important to him.

[Mike Ferguson]

Oh, yeah, I'm sure that part was true. But, you know, all of all the other stuff, you know, he is talking about his mom again. Was all of that stuff true? Was he really abused? Does he really want to get help? And why does he want to get help now after he's been convicted? Was it because he really didn't know that he murdered these two women?

[Mike Gibson]

It seems very convenient for him.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it could be. I don't know. That's the thing. There's no way to know for sure. Now. Obviously, the judge did not buy the not guilty. By insanity plea On June 7, 2023, Brian Miller received two death sentences and 24 years for kidnapping and sexual assault. After the trial, 48 Hours reached out to Bryan and he denied murdering Angela Brasso and Melanie Burnas. When asked to explain how his DNA was found on both bodies, he wrote, that's the million dollar question. If I had a provable answer for that, I wouldn't be in this situation now, would I? It is a question that I would like answered, and everyone is so convinced that I did so it will go unanswered. And to me, this is a little strange because he's not saying, well, I must have done it. I just don't remember it. He is saying, I didn't do it.

[Mike Gibson]

Wasn't me.

[Mike Ferguson]

He was. Asked about life on death row, Brian wrote, it's better than county jail. But it's obvious that isolation has taken its toll on many people here. From what I saw of people in county jail compared to here, the majority of people here are by far not what I would consider the worst of the worst. It's by far safer than anywhere else in prison. Even though they have nothing really to lose anymore. It's far from great is I'm even more isolated from those I care about and also my legal team. The food is still not great and the cells are getting very cold now. The temps are falling.

[Mike Gibson]

Do we really care?

[Mike Ferguson]

No. If you murdered multiple people, stabbed others, sexually assaulted, No. I don't think anyone cares how good your food is or that you're a little bit chilly.

[Mike Gibson]

Yeah. Think about those victims that never got to have another taste of food or.

[Mike Ferguson]

Their families who never got to share another meal with them ever again. True. Brian also disagreed with the experts called by his defense who claimed he had dissociative amnesia, writing, I maintain I did not do the murders. So he's coming out and saying it. It's not that I don't remember doing them. I didn't do them. In 2024, CBS 5 reporter Brianna Whitney reached out to Brian and asked him why he felt his defense team did not properly represent his condition. Brian responded, I will keep this brief and limited. My attorney stated before and during trial that I do not agree with expert opinion and defense counsel's position regarding issues around dissociative amnesia and guilt innocence. As I stated to state experts who asked the same question regarding DNA, I refuse to speculate and make statements accusing another party without sufficient proof. It's the state's job to make statements like that. Or so it seems. I gotta be honest with you, Gibbs. I didn't really understand what he's trying to say there.

[Mike Gibson]

I was trying to figure that out myself. I mean, for a statement he was going to keep limited and brief.

[Mike Ferguson]

He really was long winded and said very little. In further correspondence with the reporter, Brian discussed the unsolved cases linked to him, including the 2013 death of a young Arizona woman. On June 14, 2013, 19 year old Adrian Salinas went to a party in Tempe. She left the party in the early hours of June 15, then returned to speak briefly with a roommate. She Left again at 4am a few minutes later, her car was involved in a single vehicle accident near her residence. A witness said she was driving Erratically and hit the curb, which blew out two of her tires. Adriane returned to her apartment, changed clothes, and called a cab. Around 5am she texted her boyfriend that she was coming over in a cab. Minutes after sending the text, her phone was shut off. The cab driver arrived and couldn't find Adrienne or get in contact with her. On August 6, 2013, Adrian's body was found in the desert in Apache Junction. Her remains were badly decomposed and her cause of death was not immediately determined. And actually, in the research, I never did find where they reported what her cause of death was. But it almost seems, Gibbs, as though maybe, you know, somebody did something to her that caused her to hit the curb, was lying in wait for her.

[Mike Gibson]

Kind of set this whole thing in motion.

[Mike Ferguson]

I'm thinking that maybe that's a possibility. And then got to her while she was outside waiting for the cab. But before it got there, Brian wrote to reporter Brianna Whitney regarding Brandi Myers. I am only aware of Myers because it was something that happened in my neighborhood that turned it upside down for a few days. I came home from work one evening to find the main road blocked off and a bunch of people milling about. At first I thought it was a street party and I had not been aware of. But when I went to see what was going on, I saw they were handing out flyers about a missing child. A day or two later, a church member who lived next to me notified me that my landlords allowed police access to the property and with K9 units in the search. This was done without tenant knowledge or search warrant. The police went door to door asking people and looking in trash bins. I was at work when they did all this, so the information came from someone else. Later, when I was married to Amy, we were watching the news and there was a missing child case being reported on. And I related the Myers case and how it affected the neighborhood. I had been under the impression that Meyers had been found because once the police left the neighborhood, I heard nothing else about her until my arrest. Amy has made statements that have been meant to hurt me and give reason for her to get full custody of our daughter. Each time she changes tactics and story to up the ante is everyone who truly paid attention to trial testimony. Amy was proven to be lying about many things and she got angry when she was caught in her lie regarding Adrian Salinas. I had no knowledge of the case and still don't know much about it other than someone suggested I could have been involved because I was at a house party nearby that day. If that person had been paying attention, he would have also noted that I was with people we both knew all night and there was no time that I was not alone and unaccounted for that day. The person suggesting that has been looking to insert themselves because they have an obsession with murder cases and is looking for attention. He also doesn't use his real name, even with people he has known for years, and is in possession of an item stolen from me since my arrest. I had no involvement in these or any other cases and have never confessed any crimes that I have not already been punished for. Okay, so, you know, he's denying involvement in all these missing persons cases, these murder cases. He is either a fairly prolific serial killer and serial rapist, or he just happens to live right next to a large number of people who either go missing and or are later found murdered.

[Mike Gibson]

Somebody with some really bad luck.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

He's really portraying to people that he didn't do this. Wasn't me.

[Mike Ferguson]

Well, what's the alternative? Confess to a bunch of murders to which he's not been convicted? No, he's not going to do that. I mean, he won't even cop to the two murders he was convicted. Yeah, he continues to deny those. He's certainly not going to admit to murders, you know, for which he's not been convicted. Brian also wrote about his childhood and said the state's claim that he didn't report his mother's abuse was false. He said, I did speak up. I did tell people what was going on. People knew what was going on back then. No one wanted to get involved. People wouldn't believe that a mother would treat their child like that. No one believed an officer with the sheriff's department would treat someone abusively. The school nurse didn't report it when she had me roll up my sleeves when I was wearing long sleeves during the Arizona summer and could see welts and bruising shaped like a belt. My old roommate and my ex wife thought I was exaggerating until they were around my mother a couple of times. People assume that because I'm so laid back and quiet and that I had a good childhood, I just choose not to treat others as my mother did. Because he was sentenced to death, Brian's case is being automatically appealed. Although it took 22 years. Authorities are confident they have solved the Canal Murders case and have gotten justice for the families of Angela Brasso and Melanie Burnas.

[Mike Gibson]

I mean, if he was abused by his mom. Tragic, of course.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, it would be horrible.

[Mike Gibson]

But it doesn't give him permission to do what he did.

[Mike Ferguson]

No, because as we talked about a lot of times.

[Voicemail Callers]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

There have been a lot of people who experienced trauma, abuse during their childhood. Not all of those individuals grow up to be killers. Now, can it have an influence on people? It seems like it possibly can, because a lot of killers do have that in their. Their background as. As we've seen and many, many episodes. But I don't know. As we wrap this one up, Gibbs, this disassociative amnesia and. And, you know, all of that, I'm. I'm just not sure about that. And obviously, the judge wasn't sure about it either, wasn't buying it. And I think it's so telling that, you know, he later comes out and says, no, it's not that. I. I forgot the murders. I didn't do the murders. So he doesn't even agree with the psychologists who were trying to give his defense some credibility. But then he has to be able to explain his DNA.

[Mike Gibson]

That's a tough one.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, I think that's really tough. Look at his background, his record. Let's not forget about the murder tape.

[Mike Gibson]

Right.

[Mike Ferguson]

That essentially kind of laid out what he would later do, you know, stabbing a woman in the back, sexually assaulting her, decapitating her.

[Mike Gibson]

Those were his wishes.

[Mike Ferguson]

And it does seem as though, you know, he later carried that stuff out.

[Mike Gibson]

How would you like to be Amy? And thinking back about what he told her that day and. And everything that happened after that, I mean, do you sit there and think, thank goodness I'm out of that relationship, and thank goodness I got my daughter away from her father.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah. You know, I'm sure that marriage was not great, you know, from some of the things that she's described, if she's telling the truth, and, you know, I'm not sure why she would lie, but having a knife held to your neck during sex does not seem like the recipe for a great relationship. It also seems to me, Gibbs, like a person who really ties sexual gratification and violence together.

[Mike Gibson]

For sure, that was his thing.

[Mike Ferguson]

So is it, you know, all that hard to believe that this guy was a serial rapist? He was a serial killer. He derived satisfaction from. From not only the sexual assault, but the. The stabbing and the killing and the mutilation, as well, as sick as that is. But that's it for our episode on Brian Patrick Miller. No doubt a very nasty individual. We got some voicemails. You want to check those out? Yeah.

[Mike Gibson]

Let's hear them.

[Voicemail Callers]

Hi, Gideon, Mike, it's Josh. Ferguson from Austin, Texas, first time caller love podcast. Also just the other day read that the Menendez brothers got their sentence review. So I thought y' all would find that interesting. Just part of watching us listening to podcasts a couple months ago. Probably on pace to catch up with you all around episode 500. So congratulations. Love the podcast. Stay safe and keep your own signals.

[Mike Ferguson]

Did he say his last name was Ferguson?

[Mike Gibson]

I wasn't really sure.

[Mike Ferguson]

I wasn't either. I thought he did, but. But we appreciate the, the kudos. Thank you very much.

[Mike Gibson]

Absolutely.

[Voicemail Callers]

Hi, this is Wendy from southwest Ontario. I took a six and a half drive hour drive to Quebec yesterday and I was listening to your episode 400 on Albert Fish. I have a strong stomach. I have no problems listening to a lot of things, but I'm telling you, I must have been gagging in that car for 10 minutes. I almost turned it off, but I pushed my way through it and I listened to the first and second episode. So needless to say, I drove back home today. So I had TCAT with me for 13 hours. And I'm sorry, but I am Team Gibby. Thank you.

[Mike Gibson]

That's good stuff to listen to when you're on that 401 going back and forth from Southwest Ontario and all, all the, all the way over to Ottawa.

[Mike Ferguson]

With a nice Chianti and some fava beans.

[Mike Gibson]

But yeah, we appreciate the voicemail.

[Mike Ferguson]

Yeah, Gibby, yeah, that, you know, you had an issue with those episodes stomach wise. Those were tough for you as well, I remember. Yeah, Albert Fish was, he was a rough one.

[Mike Gibson]

He was.

[Mike Ferguson]

No doubt about it. All right, buddy, that is it for another episode of True Crime all the Time. So for Mike and Gibby, stay safe and keep your own time ticking. Sa.