Executive Summary
- Julie Miller was sentenced to 15 years to life for the starvation death of her 14-year-old daughter.
- The judge characterized the neglect as “intentional non-action” and imposed the maximum penalty under the plea.
- Prosecutor Dan Holstein noted the sentence is equivalent to a murder conviction with mercy.
- Co-defendant Donna Stone faces trial in March, while Jerry Stone was deemed incompetent to stand trial.
MADISON, W.Va. — A Boone County Circuit Court judge sentenced Julie Miller to 15 years to life in prison on Wednesday following her guilty plea in connection with the starvation death of her 14-year-old daughter, Kyneddi Miller. The sentencing concludes a significant phase of a case involving allegations of severe long-term neglect that left the teenager in a skeletal state.
Judge Stacy Nowicki-Eldridge imposed the maximum sentence permissible under the plea agreement reached in November 2025. Miller pleaded guilty to a charge of causing the death of a child by a parent through child abuse. According to court records, this felony charge carries a mandatory indeterminate sentence of 15 years to life, mirroring the penalty for a murder conviction with mercy. The plea deal precludes a sentence of life without mercy but mandates a minimum of 15 years incarceration before parole eligibility is considered.
Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Holstein stated that the plea agreement served the interests of justice by securing a murder-equivalent sentence without the risks associated with a jury trial. Holstein noted that a trial could have resulted in a conviction on a lesser charge of child neglect resulting in death, which carries a sentence of only three to 15 years, or potentially an acquittal if specific intent to kill could not be proven.
During the hearing, Judge Nowicki-Eldridge described the photographic evidence of the victim as being beyond comprehension. “This child literally starved to death,” the judge stated, rejecting the defense’s characterization of the events as mere negligence. “At some point, inaction becomes intentional non-action,” she ruled, emphasizing that the victim suffered prolonged deprivation of food and medical care. The court noted that Kyneddi Miller had been removed from public school in 2021 for homeschooling, isolating her from mandatory reporters.
Miller’s defense attorney, Ron Walters, argued that his client was remorseful and had accepted responsibility. In a brief statement to the court, Miller expressed love for her daughter but did not explicitly address the specific details of the neglect. Conversely, the victim’s older sister provided a victim impact statement, describing the home environment as unstable and referencing drug activity. “A piece of sunlight was ripped out of the earth the day that she died,” the sister told the court.
The investigation implicated three family members in total. Miller’s mother, Donna Stone, is scheduled for trial on March 17. Her father, Jerry Stone, was found incompetent to stand trial in August 2025 and committed to a mental health facility. It is important to note that all individuals awaiting trial are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Judicial Review and Statutory Application
The disposition of this case highlights the rigorous application of West Virginia’s child abuse statutes in instances of fatal neglect. By equating “intentional non-action” with active abuse, the court has reinforced the legal standard that caregivers are criminally liable for failures to provide basic necessities when such failures result in death. The structure of the plea deal—securing the maximum statutory penalty while avoiding the evidentiary hurdles of proving premeditated murder—demonstrates a strategic approach by the prosecution to ensure a substantial custodial sentence. The forthcoming trial of the co-defendant will further test the state’s ability to apportion criminal liability among multiple caregivers in a shared domestic environment.
