‘Hopefully, We’ll Get You Back on Your Feet,’ Judge Tells Man Once a Top Suspect in Slayings

A Clinton Township man who was once considered a key suspect in the slayings of a disabled mother and her child was freed from jail Tuesday with the well wishes of a judge who sentenced him to probation for charges related to the murder investigation, the Detroit Free Press reports.

When Tina Geiger, 47, and her 11-year-old daughter, Kristina, were stabbed on July 30, authorities focused their investigation on Jay T. Miller, 29, who admitted that he lied to authorities about being at his father’s apartment, which is located near Metropolitan Parkway and Harper in Clinton Township and is in the same building as the murder victims.

Miller, whose attorney said has mental health problems, reportedly lied at the urging of his father, then changed his story and admitted to police during the initial phases of the investigation that he had been in the vicinity.

Miller was never charged with murder, but was sentenced in Macomb County Circuit Court on charges of lying to police during a violent crime investigation and assaulting, resisting and obstructing police. Judge Diane Druzinski accepted his no-contest plea and sentenced him to one year of probation and 91 days in jail, with credit for 91 days already served.

Miller had moved from a group home into an independent living situation when the murders occurred. He told the judge that he was getting back on his feet and then “boom, this hits.”

“Hopefully, we’ll get you back on your feet,” Druzinski responded.

Miller reportedly plans to move back into a group home after his release from the Macomb County Jail.

His attorney, Ray Paige, said the outcome was “a win.”

“This guy is not a murderer,” he said.

Sandra Miller, the defendant’s brother, said her brother “didn’t deserve this” and that his initial lie made him “a perfect candidate for this particular situation.”