December 4, 2014

Hartford Man Admits Role in 2010 Murder

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KERONN MILLER, also known as “Fresh,” 24, of Hartford pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to aiding and abetting in the murder of Ian Francis of Hartford.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 21, 2010, Ian Francis was shot multiple times while sitting in his vehicle on Sigourney Street in Hartford. Francis died as a result of his injuries on January 15, 2011.

In pleading guilty, MILLER admitted that he enticed Francis to Sigourney Street understanding that the plan was to murder Francis when he arrived there. MILLER also admitted that he participated in this plot in order to assist someone else who wanted to prevent a third person from communicating with federal law enforcement and to prevent a person’s attendance at an official federal proceeding.

MILLER pleaded guilty to one count of witness tampering—second degree murder, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Under the terms of the plea agreement, if accepted by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea, MILLER faces a sentence of 168 to 210 months of imprisonment. A sentencing date is not yet scheduled.

“There is no higher priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office than addressing violent crime in our cities and prosecuting violent offenders,” stated U.S. Attorney Daly. “This case is particularly important to the federal authorities as the investigation made clear that the victim was killed as part of a plan to undermine and obstruct federal law enforcement proceedings. We commend the FBI Task Force and the Hartford Police Department for their excellent investigative work in bringing to justice one of those responsible for this murder. We also thank them for their continued and diligent work in this ongoing investigation.”

MILLER has been detained since his arrest on November 7, 2012.

A trial in the matter of MILLER’s co-defendant is scheduled for March 2015.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes and Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department’s Major Crimes Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Leaming and Jennifer Laraia.