she ran around the table but I caught up with her she was screaming and I I grabbed the knife and I started walking towards her and she started panicking I think I got her by the hair by the arm and just sunk it in her I stabbed her I stuck it in his arm and twisted it I him up why your son the devil had me every time I stab him he just scream he just scream and Dad I punched him right in the face he wouldn't die I was so angry at my family I wanted them dead 911 what is your emergency I just killed my family are you sure that you did this and you're not dreaming this is a dream I hope I just freaking out I hope to got it is but it's not it's real hav't been sleeping I had really a hard hard hard hard time sleeping why is your family up at this time of the morning because I scared the out of scen at the top of my lungs uh-huh and I killed them okay how many are there three wife and two children how old are they my wife is my son's this is an adult okay iied why did you do this I felt like of God of God came on me and I did it have you been having some problem I'm not have you been anything tonight no not okay where's your KN at my pH in the early morning hours of May 30th 2009 29-year-old Michael Miller called 911 with a chilling message moments ago he claimed to have killed his wife and two children Michael apparently spiraled out of control launching a rampage that resulted in a case that unfolds like a real life Horror Story however as Michael recalls the details of his vicious crime authorities grapple with trying to uncover the truth of what really happened that night the following footage has been evaluated by a professional team including a licensed professional counselor and a licensed clinical psychologist after an unusual 911 call authorities aren't sure what to expect as they arrive at the Miller Suburban family home in glendell Arizona on May 30th 2009 but it wasn't this as they pull up to the house Michael Miller is standing outside wearing nothing but his underwear he's Barefoot and Confused his entire body stained with blood in his 911 call he seemed to be Lucid but now something is different he tells police he's not sure what happened the only thing he knows is that he's mentally unwell and his entire family is dead inside or so he thinks suddenly Michael's voice drops to a hair Rising whisper he tells First Responders he's been possessed ominously warning that something serious is happening to his soul what authorities would find inside the home would leave them utterly haunted questioning whether Michael was an evil genius a victim of circumstance or something in between as police enter the residence there met with a horrifying scene a broken cell phone lay in pieces on the floor next to a dent in the wall empty alcohol bottles cluttered surfaces and several Family Photos rested in a heap next to the living room couch a couch that was converted into a makeshift bed like everything else the blanket and pillow were freshly stained with red stains are splashed across the walls with pools collecting underneath three victims on the floor throughout the home red Footprints Mark the steps of their killer in the moments just after his brutal ATT taxs police rushed to help Michael's family but they're too late his wife 28-year-old Adriana Miller and their daughter 10-year-old Valerie show no signs of Life their attention shifts when they hear a soft cry from Michael's four-year-old son Brian somehow despite severe injuries he's still breathing police wait for backup but the boy is fading fast every second counts and he's dropping in and out of Consciousness once help arrives the four-year-old is airlifted to a nearby hospital his injuries are so extensive authorities know they're inches away from declaring this home the scene of a triple homicide Michael Miller has some explaining to do this is going to feel so good getting these cuffs off probably hurt huh after while yeah very bad a shoulder back at the station Michael wastes no time complaining while childish this behavior isn't entirely unusual after committing a crime it's a way for perpetrators to attempt to play the victim however they usually aren't acting like this to this extreme degree Michael may also be using his discomfort as a distraction in hopes of avoiding the discussion that's to come yet evidence of Michael's recent violence is written all over his body a red handprint stains his right arm arm and strange marks are on the tops of his feet marks that Michael will repeatedly draw attention to during his interview once he's Alone Michael begins speaking to himself good my hands father what happened father what happened I'm telling the truth father father of God I'm telling the truth I don't care what happens I don't care if I go to jail for a thousand years I'm telling you the truth just want to get out of here Jesus Set Me Free Set Me Free Jesus Michael is in a modified pyramid pose with his hands typically associated with being in control and confident this is very strange considering the situation you would think he would feel out of control help can not be pass help me tell the truth father God I come to you before you Jesus asking you father help me tell the truth don't let me be afraid of what's going to happen father remind me if I tell the truth you deal with the consequences so all the God it's up to you whether I get out of here or not father God I love you in Jesus name I pray thank you love father had a big smile on his face I think they're okay I think you guys are okay I love you baby I miss you I hate being here in jail oh Father I love you just take me where you want me to go you are in control as the detective approaches the room Michael makes a point to emphasize his feelings of discomfort God it hurts what my shoulders hurt so bad oh my God oh my God hey Michael hey my shoulders hurt so bad is like a little sore or like yeah it's sore it's because my arms were back there for so long and I it's like it feels good to stretch them out you lift him up stretch yeah there you go oh it feels good was in those cuffs for a long time sorry about that sorry about that it's okay hey um Michael like I said downstairs my name is Brad McMillan I'm a detective with the Glendale Police Department okay okay I was asked to come in here and talk to you about why we're here and what happened I want to know yeah and Michael do you like to go by Mike or Michael either or it doesn't matter I'm called Mike or Michael it's it's it doesn't matter whatever whatever you're comfortable with the detective starts by collecting background information which can help him establish a baseline for Michael's Behavior understanding how Michael communicates during routine conversation makes it easier to pick up on Deception in the future in Michael's case this Baseline is especially important during his 911 call he shared with authorities that he's been diagnosed as both bipolar and schizophrenic early in the investigation authorities are always on high alert looking for any indication that suspects aren't being truthful and they know it's not unusual for people to falsely claim mental illness however suspects often think they can get away with crimes if they claim mental instability which can lead to falsification or exaggeration of symptoms for now the detective works on building Rapport by asking how long Michael and Adriana have been married 11 years well this this August will be 11 years how long were you guys dating before that um a year year and a half year and four months well we got we started dating on April 8 and we got married August 8 yeah year in four months where did you guys meet Wendy's Wendy's Wendy's like were you guys working there we we were working there and uh I was closing and she was closing and I went in there say hey you want to kick it with me want to come out with me you know be my girl oh I don't know I don't know and then she like yeah okay I'll do it and then we've been together ever since Adriana's seemingly hesitant response is an eerie beginning for this ill- fated love story if only she knew that single decision would change the course of her life forever Michael and Adriana married when they found out she was pregnant with their first child Valerie and eventually Michael says the pair both secured jobs working for the same health insurance company while Adriana remained employed there Michael wouldn't stick around too long instead he gave up his job and went to work for Papa John's Pizza what do you do there I deliver pieces oh okay I'm a piz delivery driver how long have you done that I've been doing it for about three or four months now good job um it started off good but lately the economy is getting worse and less people are are buying pizzas so right yeah right so it's kind of hit you too huh yeah but it's okay why' you quit there a long story or I I had a problem with alcohol oh okay and um I I I got to the point where I wanted to drink alcohol every single day all day I'd get home from work and I first thing I would do was pick up a beer and I'd have 12 13 of them and that's not right Michael tells officers that he had a recent wakeup call when it came to his alcohol use one day his son four-year-old Brian attended a class at church he took the teacher by surprise when he asked if her soda was actually alcohol and I was like oh my God oh my God and I was like okay I got to stop and then I I tried to quit on my own power and I kept trying God just I'll do this better I'll do that better and it didn't work and then I did this you know I did this I Tred to myself I was I was serious about it this wasn't no joke I I did that really hard I wanted to get out of there I wanted out of life while Michael's story about the attempt is certainly serious and worthy of concern he may be sharing the story now as another way to try to victimize himself by conveying his own suffering he may feel that he'll win lenience later down the line when was that that was SE late sep member early October last year oh wait yes okay okay yes did they take you to the hospital yes mhm my wife did from this point Michael's behavior only gets more and more strange who's your doctor it's a it's a county B it's County funded psychiatric unit how long have you been with them 200 2004 Michael explains that he's rotated through a few Mental Health Specialists over the past few years he struggles to remember exact timelines but alludes to a major incident a few years prior that led to his diagnosis of bipolar and schizophrenic well I got sick I got sick in November I was hospitalized November no December January I started seeing him in November December of 0 three what do you mean you got sick I thought people were following me I thought um I thought I thought cars were following me I thought people were trying to kill me I saw the spiritual battle that was being fought and it made me panic CU I couldn't understand you know the Bible says that even even Earth is it sees what happens and it and it trembles and I know sometimes I saw the other day I saw something that kind of freaked me out and well what happened was was I saw a crab like like a like a sand crab I I saw it walking and I looked and then it turned into a leaf so I am really sick really bad right the paranoia persecutory delusions and religious themed delusions Michael describes are classic examples of psychosis and under the right circumstances these symptoms can be dangerous acts of extreme violence like Michaels are rare for people with psychosis but inevitably if a person acts on paranoia and delusions there's a risk of them harming either themselves or those around them as Michael explains as symptoms the existence of some mental illness seems likely but the severity of his symptoms and whether or not they could be the cause of what drove him to kill is still unknown when he first arrived at the police station Michael's Behavior proved quite strange Michael was kept in a holding cell while authorities prepared for his questioning and police reports reflect that he was extremely agitated he smeared feces on the walls and kick the door repeatedly threatening and yelling at nearby officers and this would wouldn't be the last time police would see erratic behavior from Michael police were left wondering was his behavior the product of real mental illness or could it be a ruse soon they would get their answer but I'm I'm fine okay what do you mean you're fine I take the medicine I get if as long as I get sleep oh God knows I need sleep if I if I get sleep I'm fine I I don't have these problems how many hours of sleep did you get the night before roughly five or six oh that's good yeah I got a good night sleep after his recent episode of psychosis Michael says he paid a visit to the doctor only two days before the murders it was just recently um increased okay my my dosage was increased the other day uhhuh so I increased my dosage on my bipolar medicine and um yesterday was my second day taking the dose that I was supposed to be taking and they also gave me a sleeping pill to to help me sleep at night Michael may be mentioning his bipolar medicine as some form of damage control if he reminds the detective that he's bipolar he may hope that could influence the way the detective perceives him and perhaps change the outcome of this interview at the same time the fact that Michael's medications were increased recently is a red flag this along with his claims of troubl sleeping might signal recent stressors in Michael's life including family troubles or it may point to an uptick in the severity of his symptoms meanwhile as police search Michael's home they make some strange discoveries tucked away in Michael's dresser are 63 Pages worth of freshly printed documents documents dated for the day of Michael's doctor appointment the pages outlined Mania Sleep Disorders bipolar schizoaffective and schizophrenia and other mental illnesses in depth including definitions symptoms treatments and common medic ations could Michael have been researching how to mimic a mental health crisis the sheer amount of pages 63 to be exact certainly seemed to indicate that he was doing some intense research could he have been looking into what to report to police and how to act in order to minger or exaggerate and fake his illness or is it possible that his wife could have been doing this in-depth research to try and figure out what was going on with Michael it's important to keep this in mind as interrogation gets underway a cluster of red flags are often present in instances of malingering including sharing a sudden onset of especially severe symptoms describing unlikely combinations of symptoms like Mania and increased sleep and claiming to have highly specific and rare symptoms while symptoms of true mental disturbances vary widely by individual malingerers often follow subtle patterns in the way they describe their symptoms for example if malingerers claim audit hallucinations they often describe extremes like hearing terrifying threats and obscene language individuals experiencing genuine symptoms on the other hand experience symptoms in degrees often reporting that their hallucinations can seem conversational visual hallucinations are the most common symptom reported by malingerers and they typically describe scenes in black and white or with a single pronounced color those with genuine symptoms often describe their experiences as having a full spectrum of color finally when those with legitimate illnesses describe delusional thinking they may become defensive when asked about their experiences while those who are fabricating their experiences may not with this strange Discovery in mind the detective knows it's time to get Michael's side of the story but he could never imagine how truly gut-wrenching this story would be um you know obviously we need to talk about what happened um with you calling us calling the department the police department over can you just tell me what happened I was at home I didn't get any sleep last night my wife um my wife got up and we were running around the house doing stuff and I pulled out a knife and I stabbed her I stabbed her stabbed my daughter stabbed my son punched my son in the face I was trying to kill him but it wasn't me really it wasn't me who was it it was it was me you said it was you yes okay this odd shift in comments is only the beginning of a truly bizarre story that's about to unfold you said that you hadn't slept did you work last night I worked last night but I did not close I got off at 930 I think it was closer to 10 I can't remember um but I came home and I ate 10:30 at night 10:30 at night yeah 10 or so I don't remember I came home and I I had some food took my medicine no it was it was before 10: it was before 10 cuz I remember I having to tuck the kids in bed when I got home I it was it was a little bit before 10 I said tuck the kids in bed so we can hang out and watch TV and talk and do they normally go to bed at 10: yeah on on Friday and Saturday oh okay yeah okay I got you um how was business last night at work yeah did you make I made I made 15 20 25 bucks made 25 bucks is that good not for a Friday night what would be a good Friday night 4550 55 right 70 about half even almost a third yeah although the detective seems to Pepper Michael with mundane questions his approach is intentional questions like these allow authorities to accomplish two things first they might clue police into any obvious cognitive difficulties which could shed light on Michael's ability to reason and think his actions through second the questions can further establish Rapport as the detective carefully eases Michael into more difficult topics all right so you came home you tucked the kids in bed or did you have your wife tuck your kids in bed my wife tucked the kids in bed okay and and we keep talking about your wife and I and I talked to him in bed she tued him first then I did my wife saying she wants more kids I'm like uh not not such a good idea I'm not mentally stable for that Michael's ill time joke reveals a certain degree of self-awareness in his circumstances this is something that may determine his fate then what happened um I said a prayer with my son I rubbed his back and I said a prayer tucked him in and he fell asleep what kind of prayer is it like a standard PR Jesus no we don't we don't we don't usually pray we don't usually pray we just two weeks ago I feel like I've been I've been baptized with the holy spirit with fire I feel like I'm on fire for the Lord good so I'm trying to pray with him and teach him I'm not trying I am praying with him and I'm doing things that the Lord wants us to do would you guys pray about um pray about um I pray that the Lord would U keep him safe we we thank them for the house we thank them for the car we thank them for the food we thank them for mommy and daddy so just your standard kind of a thank you to Jesus prayer okay and then what happened then I went and tucked in my daughter uhhuh did you did you pray with your daughter no I don't think so okay aside from the fact that Michael didn't pray with his daughter the details he shares about tucking her in are noticeably absent compared to his son perhaps this signifies nothing more than unique relationships with each of his children but it may also point to more Michael recalls a recent religious Awakening that spurred his new prayer habit this sudden connection could be harmless but given Michael's religious preoccupation it could also Mark the onset of The Psychotic episode that would change his life religious preoccupation in schizophrenia tends to occur more in cultures with more religious occurrence in the general population it's important to remember that spiritualism and religious preoccupation is common among mentally healthy people and that mental illness tends to just skew the normal behaviors to the extreme which may be why this kind of preoccupation is often seen in schizophrenia especially considering if someone was raised in a religious community they may have been raised with an understanding that someone speaking out of thin air or an auditory hallucination could be God talking so then when it starts to happen it follows that they would automatically assume that's what the voice is then we went to um then we went to our room room and we got some weed and and smoked some weed by weed you mean marijuana marijuana yes she she smokes out of a bong I smoke out of a pipe okay and I smoked weed um a lot about three Puffs it doesn't take much to get me high does your does your wife smoke a lot yeah she smokes probably about a bowl okay all right so you guys smoke some wheat yes and then what um we we we were watching TV we put the weed away we were watching TV we we were talking we were talking you remember what you guys were talking about I think we were watching House Hunters on HGTV okay in your room or in the Liv in our room in our bedroom okay Michael takes long pauses and leans forward touching his face as if to physically hold himself back from saying something he may be struggling to recall the timeline or he may be so FOC focused on telling it in a certain way that it consumes all his cognitive energy Soon Michael will describe the moment everything changed for the Miller family pay attention to Michael's memory or lack thereof and then uh Then I then we tried tried to sleep I tried to go to sleep well I listened to my headphones when I was laying down I had my MP3 player I was listening to my headphones and I laid down in bed and uh she fell asleep and I I didn't fall asleep at all I I I kind of meditated for 2 hours and then uh I got up and I lost a TR of thought u i meditated and I got up and I I went on the computer I think I uh God help me what I what do I do that's when the fighting started when when I woke up you know what time this was about the fighting yeah I want to say about 8 well you got home at 1020 oh that no we didn't fight that night the fight was was this morning this morning what what time what time were you guys fighting oh we were fighting probably about that was probably about 4: in the morning when I was when I went on the computer I think oh okay so you've been up that whole time yeah I've been up the whole time okay yeah and then you just having a hard time sleeping I yeah yeah I have I have I have medicine to help me sleep caused me to sleepwalk and do stuff in my sleepwalking so um taking anymore no no I'm not taking that anymore so I'm taking something else now and does that seem to work or it worked the first night but it didn't work last night have you only been on it two days yes okay so you took the pill last night yes okay and you didn't sleep no Michael mentions old medicine here and he may be referring to ambient as it's fairly notorious for causing sleepwalking and acting out while asleep while it's unknown if he was actually taking ambian it does beg the question of the research he was doing as ambian has a history of effects including hallucinations there's the possibility that Michael researched this and is mentioning it here to set up a story there's also a long delay before he says yes when asked if he's only been on it for 2 days this pause could be an attempt to give himself a chance to think to make sure he answers the way he wants it does seem convenient that he just had his meds changed and that he keeps emphasizing it as he gets closer and closer to critical moments in his story Michael's recollection fails him he can't seem to nail down whether or not he slept and the first timeline he offers doesn't add up memory troubles like these may be due to cogn of disturbances that are common in schizophrenia and schizo effective disorders however Michael could be using his alleged diagnosis to say he had a reason to not remember and as a way to keep from having to answer okay so about 4:00 a.m. you said about 4:00 a.m. I woke up and what happened she my wife got mad at me really mad at me for yelling and or she got mad at me for um for not for not sleeping she I go babe you can't get mad at me for not sleeping it's not it's not my fault and she well she goes off and I say um what the is your problem and then I started meditating in my brain and I started thinking okay well God the father Jesus the son who's the spirit who's the spirit of God and I started thinking it was Lucifer I thought it was Satan I thought it was God the Father I thought he was married to Lucifer and they had a son named Jesus okay that's what I thought and then uh then I was indwelt by Satan and I killed him well let's talk about that you said you're uled with Satan what what was the word uh indwelt okay what does that mean uh consumed Michael describes an argument with Adriana that is suddenly eclipsed by an intense religious preoccupation these preoccupations can be dangerous if the affected person feels like they're being commanded to act in a way that causes harm to another person these kinds of thoughts can quickly cross over into delusions Michael's preoccupation does just that leaning into delusional territory as he describes an Abrupt possession by Satan tell me a little bit about that when you said you were you're Satan was in you what what happened I lost all control I had no self-control none uhhuh I I I just I just snapped and she became like a demon all right and I just this is an interesting thing to say and might actually be an issue in his story Michael says that he's snapped and then she turned into a demon but it seems like it would be more logical to say that she turned into a demon and then he snapped and killed her so what' you do I killed her how with the knife where was the knife I stabbed her a lot I don't know where I mean where where where's the knife where did you get the knife uh in our in our uh in our knife in our knife holder thing like Michael touches his mouth here and just before that moment makes a lip compression which indicates a negative response to the questioning as well as uncertainty as his answer also has an upward inflexion well tell me how did you stab her I mean was she on the ground or was she standing up I blacked out I I I stabbed her at least four times okay um do you know where you stabbed her no okay okay oh God no all right is she okay um I what I'll tell you everything so um I just don't want to lose our train here I'm sorry as he asks is she okay Michael covers his mouth which is a movement known as covering the LIE where people try to physically hide a lie he likely made this movement because he already knows the answer and that she isn't okay before his interview Michael has already acknowledged the deaths of his family members perhaps his question about Adriana's well-being is simply an attempt to shift Focus away from himself self or avoid telling the story even if only for a moment so did you stab her first yes I was screaming at her I was screaming at her I said shut the up I started taking songs from Eminem's music I started taking lyrics from Eminem's music and saying You're Gonna Die Here Comes Satan I'm the Antichrist I'm gonna kill you you're gone and I and I started stabbing her I did I did how do you know how many times you stabbed her if I was guess I would say four but maybe three maybe five and was she standing up or was she on the ground she was standing up I think I got her in the stomach okay and then she fell to the ground or yeah did you stab her while she was on the ground in the heart oh did you punch her at all yes in the face before or after you stabbed her maybe both I stabbed my daughter too yeah tell me about that she came over and she started freaking out and she Daddy stop and I just got it and just right in the middle of her chest I just d i just dug it right into her chest so she came out after you were stabbing your wife no I had the knife in my hand and I was and I was going to stab her when she came out when your daughter came out yes cuz you knew she was going to come out or I didn't know she was going to come out I I thought I thought there was a certain spell on the house and that I didn't think she would actually get up and come out I thought I thought Satan was going to keep everyone asleep so I could just kill her but I didn't know what I was going to do with the other two kids with with my I I was going to kill my wife but I didn't know what to do with them M after hinting that he planned to kill his daughter in advance Michael immediately backtracks so tell me about that she was screaming and I I grabbed the knife and I started walking towards her she started panicking like you would not believe and I got her I think I got her by the hair or by the arm and just sunk it in her right right got her in the chest or stomach I think in the chest okay then what happened she fell to the ground and her eyes were open she looked like she was okay talk to me what do you think is she freaking out she just saw her mom well she saw me with the knife threatening her she ran around the table but I cut up with her okay and then what happened I stabbed her I think I grabbed her hair okay it's it's kind of it's kind of patchy I don't have exact okay I don't have exact frame frame by frame details cuz I'm the whole time I was in there I was trying to ignore it and and fight it and and and not and not not see it right Michael does an eye blocking movement to cover his eyes which is often seen when someone doesn't want to see or remember something they've seen he then exaggerates this by actually closing his eyes so did you only stab her once I think so okay did you punch her I don't think so okay I don't think so okay you said her eyes were open with yeah did did you leave the knife in her or did you just stab her with it I just stabbed her and took it out okay was it the same knife as with your wife yes oh okay okay after describing an act of horrifying violence toward his own daughter Michael shares sickening details about his four-year-old son's attack I was the worst on him I stabbed him the most I stabbed him in the back I I stuck it in his arm and twisted it him up why why why why your son the devil had me uhhuh it wasn't me right it wasn't me it was me but it wasn't it wasn't my insides that that could do that it wasn't my insides that could kill my family right but I guess what I'm asking is is why him so many times because he wouldn't die every time I stab him he just scream he just scream and Dad right where on his body did you stab you said you got him in the arm in the back in the arm in the stomach in the back a couple times I punched him right in the face I just why' you punch him in the face cuz I wanted him to die cuz I was indwelt by Satan right then I see my wife laying in a pool of blood I see my daughter laying in a pool of blood I get up and I I have peace I'm like why do I have peace Michael describes being in his words indwelled or possessed by by Satan yet shows no signs of distress if he truly felt he was possessed by an evil entity this should be the moment of Reckoning the moment he realizes the agony he caused his family and what he believes was a possessed State the moment he feels total devastation over his actions whether or not he was in control but that moment doesn't come I was like I feel Cal I'm like okay God is doing something here I just don't know what he's doing and then um and then I then I I got some blood on me and then I came and I got into I don't know what happened to my feet I don't know what this is all about they look like piercings like Jesus let's rewind to when Michael first entered the interrogation room as we saw early in the interrogation Michael had strange circular marks on the top of each foot here Michael Compares these to the markings Jesus Christ received during the crucifixion for now the detective ignores Michael's comment and moves on but Michael doesn't plan on dropping the conversation well how did you get all the blood all over you is just when you were stabbing when I when I was stabbing them and I put my hand in there and then I I must have tried to wipe I is that your hand print right there in your your arm or is that it might be I don't uh it might be did anybody did any of them grab you when you were stabbing them no no I don't think so okay then what happened then I I I tried to make a cigarette I I rolled a cigarette CU I rolled my own cigarette so I rolled a cigarette and I was I was kind of in a panic I had peace but I was in a panic I just kind of walked around like okay what do I do what do I do and I was looking at him I was looking at him I was like d you I just want themes to die I was so angry at my family I wanted them dead Michael's words indicate more than just passing anger instead they seem filled with longstanding resentment yet he also absolves himself of responsibility claiming evil forces were in control Michael's disturbing lack of remorse seems like a clear sign of a cold-blooded killer but reduced emotional expression also known as flat affect is common in cases of mental illness it can also be a side effect of psychotropic drugs like the ones Michael was prescribed if Michael was in fact in a state of psychosis it will eventually pass and when it does crushing regret and guilt May finally surface I wanted them dead but then I got then I got here why were you so angry with your family Satan I like I said I I I was telling God I was praying to God I was praying to Jesus that Jesus okay your father's the father and Satan must be the spirit because the spiritual side comes from I know but what I'm asking you is is is why are you so mad at the family I don't know I don't know I don't okay I've I've never had that kind of anger or hate towards them like I had this morning okay Michael's delusion suggest he may be in the midst of a psychotic episode at this very moment but he doesn't appear to also be in a state of Mania in his case this is an important distinction people in severe manic episodes can be challenging to converse with in their excited state they may struggle to string ideas together as coherently as Michael does while Michael seems to have incidents of Mania like when he was highly active and agitated in his holding cell or during the murders themselves the absence of mania during psychosis suggests that he may not actually be suffering from bipolar disorder instead his symptoms point to an illness that would have an extreme impact on his ability to have any semblance of a normal life episodes of psychosis without Mania occurring at the same time mean it's likely that he either suffers from skitso effective disorder or may Simply Be SK schizophrenic while schizo effective disorder can include symptoms of both bipolar and schizophrenia these two disorders aren't commonly diagnosed together as Michael describes it's thought that they may exist on opposite ends of the psychosis Spectrum all right so you were trying to roll a cigarette yes okay and then what I rolled it I rolled it and I I went to light it and then then I was light when I lit it I called called who 911 called them I stab my family to come and she said are you sure you're not dreaming you sure not dreaming I said I'm sure this is real are you sure that you did this and you're not dreaming I hope this is a dream I hope I freaking out I hope but it's not it's real so um she came or no she I called and I lit my cigarette and then then I talked when I was talking to her she just kept me on the phone and my cigarette burned out and I threw it down and I don't I don't know if I threw it on outside or inside but I didn't I didn't finish it I didn't finish my cigarette interesting the detective is right this detail is interesting at the point in a story where his family Lay Dying Michael focuses on an unfinished cigarette did you do anything else in the house maybe all over the carpet oh my goodness what's all over the carpet blood why cuz I'm I think I I think I stepped in it it's all over my feet like this right here it's all right here there blood right here bottom of my feet right I see that well when I was in your house and I saw I saw your bloody Footprints down the hallway towards your bedroom okay and you're dripping blood U why did you go back there to pray to Jesus to thank him for what he did what did he do he saved my family's life how did he save their lives he used me to shoot them or stab them I didn't shoot them he used me to stab them and he brought them back to newness of Life what do you mean by newness of life he for he my calling is my calling is my calling life is to witness to Mormons and Catholics okay my uh I see the spiritual I see the spiritual realm okay I'm a beginner but I'm but I feel like I'm learning the spiritual realm pretty well I feel like um I feel like God is doing something with me that's going to be magnificent that'll out that just it won't outdo but okay but my question is is what is newness of Life newness of life well they were dead in their trespasses and now they're raised to newness of Life are they up with the heavenly father you're trying they are seated in Heavenly places they are seated in the Heavenly places yes Michael is quoting directly from baptism writes and he appears to be doing this to sound very devout Michael's beliefs cross over into the realm of fanaticism and obs session he appears to be so intensely focused on his ideas that he values them Above All Else including the lives of his family this extreme fixation may be what allows him to justify taking the lives of his wife and children but were his actions based on simple impulse or were they a calculated act that's what isn't so clear when authorities first arrived at the gruesome scene that morning there were clues that suggested that this may have been more ulated than Michael wants the police to believe and that he may not be sharing the full details of what happened one such clue was a picture that was out of place next to Adriana's body was a bloodstained rendering of the Last Supper neatly propped against the kitchen counter and the floor positioned directly in her line of vision as she Lay Dying perhaps it was pure coincidence but the details were too unnerving to ignore so how long do you think you were back there in your bedroom prank no idea is this before or after you uh after smoked a cigarette well actually you said you called 911 so so I I must I must have gone and prayed before I called 911 okay do you know how long if you had to guess how long six minutes okay if I had to guess it's interesting that he can specifically say 6 minutes when he appears unable to remember other details this may be an example of him having a memory of extremes including too many details about some things but none about others was God talking to you then yes what did God say no he was not talking to me then okay I was alone was God talking to you when you were stabbing your family killing your family yes what was God saying kill them like to Christ them up destroy them destroy them they are nothing okay but do you think God actually actually wants your family dead that he wants your kids dead no he's the perfect example of a family okay then maybe it was from Satan but it's not from Satan Jesus is within me his self- soothing leg rub here might be because of his discomfort at the idea that he was following evil actions as Michael debates if his actions came from Divine or evil sources he not so subtly lifts the sheet to reveal his feet the detective finally addresses the elephant in the room I know that the officer saw you do that I didn't do that on purpose okay no I don't I don't know how this happened well I think they saw you touching them touching your fingers no I wasn't touching him I swear to God saying I swear to God is a convincing statement and a red flag that he's being deceptive I was I was I was on the I was on the ground and I kept getting up and when I get up my foot would rub oh I and it would rub against the floor that's how that came what would you call that well a burn a burn a burn on off the floor it looks like blood to me it's dried blood well it's dried blood it could be I've seen that movie Stigmata I don't know what that all about I don't understand what that's all about I don't really understand that yet but this may be a Stigmata of some kind maybe he's God's trying to show me something in Catholicism the term Stigmata refers to marks on specific areas of the body these marks are thought to appear spontaneously on areas that would have been injured in Jesus's crucifixion including the hands and feet perhaps by referring to this Michael is attempting to physically represent the connection he feels with his higher power or prove that his actions were the result of a Divine calling what happened to your hand This was um when I was holding the knife I was trying to stab her she had her hand on it too and she was trying to push it away and when I stabbed her I think my hand slipped off the handle and went onto the BL okay so that just happened who put the bandage on there the the police officer that came to the house Adriana attempted to defend herself as Michael came after her while he doesn't say it his daughter's autopsy revealed the same she also fought for her life and as Michael continues more shocking details about his family's last moments surface well I had it and I said do you want me to stab you with this and she goes no no no no no she just freaked out and I just that's when that's when she grabbed it that's when she grabbed it and that's when I pulled it back and then my hand slipped and I cut my finger and then I then I sunk it into her head did you kick her yeah I think so in the legs why' you kick her kick her while she's down yeah make sure she's down make sure she's down sure she's dead did was she begging for for you not to do it was she telling you not to do it yes she was begging what was she saying Mike don't do this don't do this you don't know what you're doing you don't know what you're doing stop stop stop she was she was in a panic I've never seen her like that and I never want to see her like that again and then you stabbed her in the chest yes did she say anything after that I don't remember I was I was so enraged Michael says his wife called out for their daughter in her last moments I said she's not going to hear you you're all by yourself but the truth was Adriana wasn't alone her daughter Valerie heard the commotion in the dining room and in a moment of Bravery she decided to find out what was wrong it was almost like I just put her there I didn't see her coming she was just there all of a sudden okay and uh and that scared me I'm not going to lie that scared me and I just take it out on her I was I was Furious I don't know what I was Furious about though and where where was your first when you stabbed her where was the first stab the heart I think and how many stabs after maybe one and where was that maybe the arm or the stomach she was dead she was had a purple face okay so far Michael's Revelations have been haunting enough but the worst is yet to come when the detective walks Michael back through the incident with his son he shares an unthinkable truth and you said you were what ruthless with him or what was the word uh no mercy no mercy at all with him I went after him so hard and so fast and was telling you to stop he was just screaming daddy daddy daddy I love him so much I don't know how that got into me yeah why would you stab him you know lately I've been talking so much about my son and going to work I'm talking about how I love my son and how dear he is to my heart and how precious he is and how God has blessed me with him and and then I go and do something like that where I just lose control by going on about how he's lucky to have his son Michael seems to be trying to convince the detective that he has no sane reason to kill his son which may be part of his attempt to reaffirm that he was not in his right mind how many times again did you say stabbed him probably four or five he got the most if I told you 11 would that be too much or or not that much 11 I'm asking that is way too much way too much yes okay do you think it's possible that you stabbed him 11 times why do you think it's possible cuz I wasn't I wasn't in the right mind I was I was not in the right mind the detective asks why Michael son got the worst of his wrath his response casts a chilling Darkness over the room saying I love Brian more do you think what what you did do you think was wrong yes why yes and no killing my family is wrong but it wasn't wrong because God is in control of all things and he says all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and I love the Lord but do you know the difference between right and wrong yes I do okay so you think it's wrong killing your family but it's right but no it's it on the physical sense it's wrong but in in the spiritual level it's it's okay Michael's reflection on the morality of killing his family indicates a certain Detachment while he understands that killing his family is wrong he continues to verbalize his delusions and up until this point Michael describes the heartbreaking moments of the attack with almost no emotion this cander suggests his actions were probably driven by mental illness namely paranoia and delusional thinking but despite Michael's troubled State he's able to manage his timeline and recall most of it in Vivid detail and he's more than capable of answering questions requiring logical and analytical ability his level of composure suggests an unsettling truth while Michael is mentally ill he isn't so out of his mind that he doesn't understand the tragic events of that morning it's a common misconception that people who struggle with severe mental illness have no control over their actions but reality isn't always so black and white a more difficult possibility to contend with is that many individuals can be both mentally ill and in control of their choic even Michael if Michael is able to answer the detective's questions in his right mind providing a detailed picture of what happened one has to wonder if he was genuinely unable to stop himself from carrying out the violent attack in the first place sit tight for me okay and I'll be back God you gave me peace you gave me hope father God father God please heal them Jesus Jesus heal them this is not real this is not real Jesus this is fake you're testing me you're testing me Satan is in control I love you Jesus oh Father I'm so sorry but you're in control you know the outcome you know the beginning from the end father God have your way with us have your way with us have your way have your way father after the attack neighbor after neighbor came forward as witnesses to Michael and Adriana's fighting one neighbor told police the couple's yelling reverberates throughout the neighborhood neighbors who babysat for the Millers described Michael as angry and abusive with some witnessing Michael slapping Adriana when she tried to prevent Michael from driving after drinking others claimed that the children weren't allowed to go places when invited Michael is already admitted to having troubles with alcohol and when detectives speak with his parents they agree according to police reports Michael's mother said he struggled with alcohol and substance use in the past and at one point his father suspected Michael of stealing prescription opioids from his home if Michael had been drinking recently as the bottles police found in his home suggest the alcohol may have dampened the effectiveness of his medications exacerbated his mental health symptoms or both when the detective returns Michael asks one lingering question about his family can I ask you one question sure are they're okay right um your son is okay son is okay yeah it looks like he he may be okay Michael shows no sign of relief at the detective's announcement um do you know why you left the knife in his shoulder Mike I don't know why I don't know why I don't know why well you got to remember why I left it there because I was scared I was scared and I just I was what the hell happened what do I do what do I do and I just left it I just left did you try to help him at all no not at all Michael rubs his head possibly to self soothe and is called a 911 documented exactly this scenario in chilling detail are you sure they're not breathing my son wor I got him my son is still breathing he's still breathing yes can you go over I can't I cannot why not I can't look at what I did okay you need to you need to face up to the reality this you need to go and help him as police collect Michael's DNA and take photographs for evidence they're able to see his injuries more closely and it only serves to reinforce Michael's violence that morning and the other side J for the flash is that a cut oh might be a scratch it might be a fingernail okay who where'd that be from um my wife was she scratching at you I don't remember the question of the 63 pages of printed documents outlining mental health diagnosis remains while it initially seemed to suggest that Michael may have been researching mental health disorders in order to try and fake crazy and receive leniency there's likely a simple explanation people with bipolar disorder are among the hardest to convince of their illness because of this it's not uncommon for mental health professionals to encourage patients to research their condition and it's possible this is what Michael was doing however it's still highly unusual for him to have 63 pages of research it's rare that any doctor would send that much information as they're more likely to send home one or two pages of information about a diagnosis leaving the discovery is still very odd while it's possible that Michael was indeed experiencing psychiatric troubles it's equally plausible that he exaggerated symptoms to avoid the long arm of the law I don't know why my hands are so swollen those CS well I don't know if it's the C they're not going to cause that I don't know why they're so swollen could have been that were you hitting him more than than you said despite his predicament or perhaps in an attempt to smooth it over or ignore it Michael makes casual conversation with the officers one of whom was a target of Michael's outbursts while in as holding cell sorry I was such a [ __ ] in there I just I had lots of things going on my mind I was kicking the door being a jerk yeah sorrys were hurting I'm sure you know yeah you know I'm I'm in good hands you ever listen to rap or hip-hop music at all have you heard that new song by The Dream walking on the moon you you'll know when you hear it got me walking on the moon that's nice the dream he's one sing shorty is a 10 a 10 yeah yeah that song Rock as detective swap blood stains from his body Michael carries on singing and chatting but soon enough his smile Fades his last remarks are nothing if not haunting that footle I think it was all just a bad dream I think I really think it was just all a bad dream after surgery and an extensive stay in ICU Michael's son eventually recovered he sustained multiple stab wounds to his torso chest upper back and wrist and required a feeding tube during his recovery due to his injuries Michael Miller was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempt to commit murder in the first degree the County prosecutor argued that Michael's case demonstrated the premeditation necessary for a first-degree murder charge and that his crimes were carried out in an especially heinous cruel or depraved manner warranting aggravating circumstances and consideration for the death penalty Adriana's sister addressed Michael directly saying she would have done anything and everything for you she never could have imagined in her worst nightmares that one day she would have to try to protect herself from you even so it was at the please of Adriana's family that the judge took the death penalty off off the table in his sentencing in October of 2009 Michael accepted a plea deal and by December Michael was convicted of both counts of first-degree murder for which he was given life sentences as well as another 10 and a half years for the attempted murder of his son there's very little information released publicly about his son Brian and his life after surviving the attack and the loss of his mother and sister what can be pieced together seems to indicate that he's living with an ant and that those looking after him have been careful to protect him he has likely either just turned 18 or will be soon