DETROIT – The family of a Detroit nurse who was kidnapped and killed in May by her ex-boyfriend had the opportunity to confront the killer Tuesday at his sentencing hearing, and they did not hold back.
Jamere Miller, 36, was sentenced to decades in prison after accepting a plea deal in the May murder of 29-year-old Patrice Wilson. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October.
On May 13, Wilson was kidnapped from the parking lot after a shift at Detroit Receiving Hospital, where she worked as a nurse. Police said the kidnapper was Miller, Wilson’s ex-boyfriend who family members say she was trying to get away from.
Miller was sentenced on Tuesday, Nov. 7 to no less than 35 years in prison. He will be 71 years old before he can be eligible for parole.
During his sentencing hearing, family members were allowed to speak directly to Miller in court.
Wilson’s grandmother Pamela Golden confronted Miller with tangible pain and questions that went unanswered.
“I don’t understand you. What kind of person are you? Where did you come from? Who can even support you?” Golden said, in part.
“You’re talking about ‘you loved her’ -- how could you love a person and [take] her life? How?” Golden said. “Is that love? Is that really love? Why did you do this to my child? Why did you do this to my family?”
Wilson’s family has been outspoken against Miller since she was kidnapped, saying Wilson was trying to get away from the man because “he was toxic to her.”
“How would you like someone to do that to your mama? Or your sister?” Golden asked Tuesday. “You ain’t fit to live.”
Wilson has been remembered by loved ones as a beautiful soul and a loving mother. Tyrese Berry, the father of Wilson’s son, also spoke to Miller during the sentencing hearing.
“You scare women,” Berry said, in part.
“You’re man enough to tell everybody what you did to my baby momma. What did you do to yours? You’ve got your people here, you’ve got your momma here -- you embarrassed your family for life,” Berry said.
Miller had a prepared statement, but didn’t want to read all of it during the hearing. His attorney read from the apology letter, which said, in part:
“I think about our last moments. It hurts so bad. I wish we [wouldn’t] have put our mothers in this situation. I truly do.”
You can watch scenes from the courtroom in the video player below.
Details from the case
Officials said that at about 7:40 a.m. on May 13, Miller went to the hospital disguised in a blonde wig, hat and mask and forced Wilson into her car at gunpoint. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Miller “went to the back passenger side of her car and fired a handgun multiple times,” killing Wilson.
Miller then reportedly got into the driver’s seat of Wilson’s car and drove away. The next day, Wilson was found dead in the trunk of her SUV outside of her apartment in Novi.
---> Security camera footage shows moments before Detroit nurse kidnapped
Miller turned himself in to Detroit police on May 14, and was charged soon after with 14 counts stemming from a separate incident. He was later charged in connection with Wilson’s killing.
On Thursday, Oct. 12, Prosecutor Worthy said Miller will be sentenced on his second-degree murder conviction on Nov. 1. During that sentencing, the following charges against him will be dropped due to the plea deal:
- One count of first-degree murder.
- One count of felony murder.
- One count of carjacking.
- One count of armed robbery.
- One count of felon in possession of a firearm.
- Five counts of felony firearm.
Though Miller was facing life in prison with all of those charges, the plea deal was of interest especially to the family, who didn’t want to hear certain details about the killing during a trial.
In August, Wilson’s family filed a lawsuit against Detroit Medical Center, claiming it was negligent and had inadequate security at the hospital. Lawyers for the family claim the DMC didn’t follow protocols, and didn’t call police until two hours after Wilson disappeared.
In a statement, a DMC spokesperson said the organization stands behind its security team and their handling of the situation.