Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Man, 19, charged in murder of ‘teacher, advocate’

Anthony Prentice will appear before District Court Joseph Bonaventure in two weeks.

It'll be his second probation revocation hearing in less than a year, but this time, Prentice will not have Dan Miller standing up in court for him. Dan Miller, the man described in court documents as a "teacher and advocate" and the man who submitted a report on Prentice's behalf last February, is now dead, and Prentice is charged with his murder.

While court records do not reveal what Miller said on Prentice's behalf, it appeared to have hit a mark. Instead of imposing a four-year prison term for the probation violation, Bonaventure gave Prentice 30 days in jail and reinstated his probation.

If Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle next week finds enough evidence to try Prentice for murder, the 19-year-old will stand before Bonaventure on Nov. 6 accused not only of a second probation violation but also of killing the man he told police had helped him the most in his life.

The exact details of the relationship between Miller, 58, and Prentice, 19, are not clear, and the letter Miller gave to Bonaventure has been sealed.

Defense attorney Paul Wommer, however, believes Miller, a driving instructor, met Prentice through mutual friends. Despite their age difference, the two became "good friends and roommates" about a year before Miller's death, Wommer said.

"I haven't discussed his relationship with Mr. Miller yet, we've just discussed the evidence," Wommer said, declining to comment on the case further.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Lalli also declined to comment on the case.

The 19-year-old originally had been placed on five years' probation in September 2001 after pleading guilty to his part in an uprising in June 2001 at the Summit View Youth Correctional Center in North Las Vegas.

Prentice appeared before Bonaventure on his first probation violation hearing in February and it was then that Miller submitted the letter on his behalf.

Seven months later Miller was dead and Prentice was charged in his death.

Miller had been stabbed 128 times, beaten with a hammer and had a swastika carved in his back following his death.

Following his arrest Prentice told police Miller had helped him more than anyone else in his life and sometimes referred to him as "Dad."

The teenager said he last saw Miller Aug. 30 after introducing James Harrison, 21, to him. According to police reports, Prentice said he left the apartment after hearing what he thought was sexual activity and arguing.

Harrison, who was also arrested and charged with murder, told police, however, that Prentice attacked Miller because Miller called him a derogatory name.

"Prentice retrieved his knife from a desk nearby and started stabbing Miller," a police report quotes Harrison as saying. "Miller started to yell, 'What have I done to deserve this?' "

According the report, Harrison said he grabbed Miller from behind and tried to muffle Miller's yells. He also hit Miller in the head and face with his fist and continued to hold him while Prentice repeatedly stabbed him.

Until that moment, Prentice had only been wanted by his probation officer for failing to give him his new address.

After he and Harrison spoke with police, however, they were both charged in Miller's slaying.

If convicted of Miller's murder, Prentice will likely have to add another 12 to 48 months to a life sentence for violating his probation.

archive