Case 332: Bruce Miller

From journalist Olivia LaVoice, the creator of the hit investigative series The Bakersfield Three, comes the new Casefile Presents series, Ada. In 2011, the body of a woman was discovered in a California vineyard. For more than a decade, she was known only as Jane Doe. Then, detectives finally discovered her name. But identifying her was only the beginning. Listen to Ada wherever you get your podcasts. For a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. This episode was originally released on Casefile's Patreon, Apple Premium and Spotify Premium feeds as an early bonus for our paid subscribers. To receive these episodes early and ad-free, you can support Casefile on your preferred platform. Casefile Presents Casefile Presents On Friday, February 11, 2000, Mike Cassaday cut his workday short to make a difficult drive. He had just received the devastating news that his younger brother, 39-year-old Jerry Cassaday, had been found dead at his home in Odessa, Missouri. Mike arrived at Jerry's apartment just as a sheriff's deputy and a funeral home director were preparing to remove his brother's body from the residence. Jerry, who lived alone, had been discovered by a concerned neighbour, slumped in a chair with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Mike knew that his brother had been struggling lately with his mental health, mounting bills and a recent divorce, but he never imagined things would end this way. After a brief conversation with the officials, he entered Jerry's apartment. The reddish-brown plush recliner, which normally sat in front of the television in the corner, had been moved to face a trio of windows overlooking a nearby lake. It was there, in that chair, that Jerry had taken his life with his.22 caliber rifle. A row of framed family photos lined the windowsill in front of him, and a Bible on his lap was open on the Gospel of Matthew. "You shall not murder," a verse read, "and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment." It was then that Jerry was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. Forty-eight-year-old Bruce Miller was not known for his punctuality, so when he failed to arrive home on time on the evening of Monday, November 8, 1999, it was easy to assume he was just running late as usual. But his wife, Cherie, felt differently. She had ordered takeout for the family, and Bruce was supposed to pick it up on his way home from work at B&D Auto Salvage, a scrapyard in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, that he owned and operated. Cherie had last spoken to Bruce shortly after 6:00 p.m. as he was preparing to close up shop. She had called to let him know their food was ready to be picked up, and as they chatted casually, Bruce mentioned a truck had just pulled up right outside his office. Assuming it was a late customer, he told Cherie he'd try to hurry them along. The last thing she'd heard was the sound of Bruce's office door opening as someone stepped inside. When time continued to pass without any word from Bruce to explain his delay, Cherie phoned his office, but there was no answer. When there was still no word from him by 8:00 p.m., Cherie phoned again. Still nothing. She reached out to several of Bruce's relatives, but given his notorious habit of running late, they weren't overly concerned. Bruce's brother, Chuck, had spoken with him at around 5:00 p.m. and said everything seemed perfectly normal. It also wasn't unusual for customers to show up at the scrapyard right before closing time with last-minute business. Unable to shake her concern, Cherie took Chuck's advice and drove to B&D Auto to check on her husband, bringing one of her sons along for the ride. On the way, she stopped at the restaurant where they had ordered dinner. Staff there confirmed that Bruce hadn't come to pick it up. Cherie then followed the route Bruce typically took home in case his truck had broken down along the way, but there was no sign of him. When she finally reached the scrapyard, the front gate was closed, indicating Bruce had left for the day. Cherie retraced the drive from the yard back to the restaurant, then home, but still didn't encounter Bruce or his car. Panicking, she contacted the local and state police, who confirmed there had been no reported accidents involving her husband. She called hospitals, friends, and even Bruce's mother, but no one had seen or heard from him. At last, Bruce's brother, Chuck, agreed to head to B&D Auto, thinking perhaps Bruce had been injured on the job and was unable to reach a phone. Chuck arrived at the dark, isolated property and let himself in. He drove past the rows of gutted and totalled cars lining the 500-yard-long driveway to Bruce's small office building. His concern mounted at the side of Bruce's truck parked out front. The office was eerily quiet as Chuck pushed through the unlocked door. He found Bruce face down on the floor, behind the front counter, with a dark pool of blood around his head. Bruce's office appeared undisturbed, leading Chuck to believe his death had been a tragic accident. Maybe he had leaned too far back in his rickety metal office chair and tipped over, or suffered a heart attack, collapsing, and then died. Perhaps it was just that he didn't know where he was going. But when police arrived, the grim reality became clear. Bruce had been shot in the throat at close range with a shotgun. News of Bruce's murder sent shockwaves through Flint. A lifelong resident, he was known as a hard-working, easy-going family man. In preparation for retiring from a three-decade career testing machines, he had been working for a car manufacturer for over a decade. At the age of 18, he had been working for an auto manufacturing company. Bruce poured his spare time and energy into B&D auto salvage. It was more a labor of love than necessity. Tinkering with cars had been a hobby of his since childhood, making the scrapyard feel more like a personal playground than a job site. The site itself provided the perfect setting for a killer to strike unnoticed. B&D auto was situated on the remote outskirts of northern Flint, nestled between a gravel quarry and a stock car racetrack. Acres of wrecked vehicles surrounded Bruce's office building, which featured a single window overlooking the dirt driveway. Bruce employed a small team, but none were present at the time of the shooting. The scrapyard typically attracted DIY mechanics, in need of replacement parts or specialists hunting for valuable components to salvage. There had never been any serious trouble at the site. Bruce was a quiet, laid-back man whose calm demeanor and a sense of humor didn't invite conflict. As a result, there was no clear suspect or motive, leaving police to speculate that the killing must have been random. Scrapyards often drew shady characters, and B&D auto was no exception. Perhaps Bruce had angered a customer who reacted violently. Robbery was another possibility. Bruce's wallet was missing, along with the $2,000 he was known to carry in his front shirt pocket to make change for his customers. The missing money took on greater significance when investigators spoke to Bruce's devastated wife, Cherie. She revealed that one of Bruce's former employees, a man named John Hutchinson, owed him two thousand dollars. Interestingly, Hutchinson was a prime suspect in a long-running auto fraud investigation and it was believed he had used Bruce's scrapyard to carry out his scam In fact, fraud investigators had visited B&D Auto the day before Bruce's murder to speak with him about Hutchinson The conversation never happened as Bruce wasn't at work when they stopped by John Hutchinson's brother, Harold, also worked at the yard Harold told the detectives that weeks earlier, his brother had confided in him that he was planning to kill Bruce in connection with the fraud case The morning after the shooting, Harold claimed his brother told him he had, quote disposed of his problems at B&D Auto It seemed plausible that Bruce had planned to report his rogue former employee to the police giving Hutchinson a motive to kill him before he could talk While Harold Hutchinson's claims supported this theory investigators had to proceed with caution Harold had a mild intellectual disability and they suspected he was easily influenced potentially saying what he thought they wanted to hear He therefore wouldn't be considered a reliable witness in court Seeking more concrete evidence detectives went to speak with the John Hutchinson directly Hutchinson appeared surprised when police arrived at his home to question him and conduct a search They seized several firearms, including three shotguns although Hutchinson claimed he hadn't fired any of them in over two years When told that he was the primary suspect in Bruce's murder Hutchinson insisted he had nothing to hide He admitted to stealing car parts from B&D Auto during his employment and burglarizing the scrapyard multiple times since his termination He also confessed to committing fraudulent acts while working there including altering vehicles identification numbers and rolling back odometers to mislead buyers There was no indication that Bruce was involved in the crime or had any knowledge of the scam While Hutchinson had discussed his legal issues with his brother Harold he denied ever plotting to kill Bruce He admitted he owed Bruce $2,000 and had been avoiding him because he couldn't pay it back but insisted he would never have killed Bruce over a small amount of money Despite being laid off the previous year he said that the two had once been close Still, investigators were struck by Hutchinson's flat, emotionless tone when discussing Bruce's death His response seemed strangely detached for someone who claimed to have once been a good friend "I did not shoot him," Hutchinson told them calmly even going so far as to request a lie detector test The polygraph was brief When asked about his involvement in or knowledge of Bruce's murder Hutchinson firmly responded "No" Though, oddly, he nodded his head as he spoke Afterwards, Hutchinson was stunned to learn that he had failed the test He attributed the result to unrelated stress and anxieties which he claimed had affected his composure Hutchinson continued to assert his innocence and even offered to retake the test Hutchinson took a second test with a lawyer present Once again, he nodded his head despite answering "No" to key questions He also exhibited other peculiar behaviours, such as frequent burping, as if trying to influence the result Just like before, the machine indicated deception Hutchinson diverted attention away from himself by revealing that Bruce had killed his own brother in an attempt to steal Bruce's blood Revealing, he might have told someone that Bruce carried large sums of cash in his shirt pocket Though, he refused to name anyone specifically This led investigators back to the robbery theory Though, they remained sceptical of John Hutchinson Despite being under a cloud of suspicion John Hutchinson joined the solemn crowd of mourners offering their condolences to Bruce's grieving family at his memorial With tears in his eyes, he shook Chuck Miller's hand and said "I can't believe they're saying I killed your brother" Chuck replied evenly "I hope to hell you didn't have anything to do with my brother's death" After viewing Bruce's body in the open casket, Hutchinson approached Cherie Miller, draped his arm around her shoulder, and quietly offered an apology Cherie said nothing in response But when Hutchinson walked away to mingle with others, she erupted She ordered that he be escorted out, shouting "He's the one who killed my husband" Hutchinson, visibly shaken by the outburst, left without protest The investigation into John Hutchinson hit a roadblock when forensic testing confirmed that none of his family members had been killed One of his three shotguns matched the murder weapon And while the scrapyard office was cluttered and grimy, it yielded no physical evidence linking anyone else to the crime Maybe the killer was not some bungling, opportunistic thief as investigators initially believed But someone with a deeper understanding of forensic procedures, careful and calculated enough to leave no trace With few leads emerging, investigators turned their attention to those closest to Bruce But no one appeared to benefit meaningfully from his death Although Bruce had died without a will, the bulk of his modest estate was set to go to his mother and two adult children from a previous marriage His children were also due to receive $78,000 from an insurance payout, while Cherie Miller inherited the scrapyard She sold it for minimal profit, leaving her with $16,000 in savings and a meagre amount from Bruce's stocks and pension funds None of it seemed a compelling enough reward to justify murder Alibis among the group were verified, including that of Bruce's brother, Chuck, further narrowing the pool of potential suspects As 1999 came to an end Police expanded their search, interviewing transients known to frequent the area around the scrapyard and issuing public appeals for information But, as months passed without a breakthrough, they feared the case was growing cold 3 months after Bruce Miller's murder, nearly 800 miles away in Odessa, Missouri, 39-year-old Jerry Cassaday was found dead 2 months after Bruce Miller's murder, nearly 800 miles away in Odessa, Missouri, 39-year-old Jerry Cassaday was found dead 3 months after Bruce Miller's murder, nearly 800 miles away in Odessa, Missouri, 39-year-old Jerry Cassaday was found dead A former detective lieutenant, Jerry was once known as "The Chameleon" for his ability to blend in with criminals and elicit confessions through casual conversation He was so skilled at spotting and unravelling lies that he held the highest case clearance and confession rate in his metropolitan area Jerry loved his job and was highly respected by colleagues who described him as "one of the good ones" for his unwavering commitment to honesty When Jerry started noticing other officers cutting corners, bending rules, and crossing legal boundaries in the line of duty, he grew disillusioned His breaking point came when he discovered that falsified police records had been used to convict a murder suspect He blew the whistle, leading to the dismissal of the officer responsible In turn, Jerry paid a steep personal price He was unofficially demoted and endured relentless harassment both on and off the job Broken by the whole experience, he resigned from the force in 1994 He later found work as a casino security guard, eventually moving up to a position as table games dealer While he was valued and well-liked by players and co-workers He was no longer the man he once was The optimism that had defined him was replaced by bitterness, paranoia, and a deep depression He mixed his prescription medications with alcohol until his emotional instability broke down his marriage On Tuesday February 9 2000, Jerry sat by his apartment window, gazing out at a lake as country music played in the background It was then that he found a photo of a man lying on his bed in the middle of the lake The photo of the man lying on his bed was a photograph of a man lying on his bed at the bottom of the lake pictures of his three sons aged 14 to 20 and his ex-wife. Her image also appeared on the home screen of his nearby computer. Their wedding rings lay next to the photos and a copy of their divorce decree sat on a lamp table beside him. Jerry opened a bible on his lap to the Gospel of Matthew, took his.22 calibre rifle and ended his life. Jerry's body was discovered two days later on Friday February 11. A preliminary search of his apartment by first responders turned up no suicide note or clear explanation for his actions. However, they did find several bottles of prescribed antidepressants and a report from a mental health centre detailing a recent stay. Given his ongoing struggles, the evidence at the scene and reports of his death, Jerry's body was discovered two days later on Friday February 11. In reports that Jerry had recently spoken about suicide, the case was deemed unsuspicious and closed on the same morning that his body was found. Jerry's loved ones spent the rest of the day at his apartment processing their grief and sorting through his belongings. While going through Jerry's bedroom, his older brother Mike crouched to check under the bed when something caught his eye. A brown leather briefcase. The discovery was not entirely unexpected. Three months earlier, in November 1999, Jerry had called Mike to say he was going to the family's lake cabin for a couple of days to clear his head. Before leaving, he made an odd remark. There was a briefcase under his bed, and if he didn't return within two days, Mike was to retrieve it and follow the instructions. Jerry returned as promised, and never mentioned the briefcase again. The strange incident faded from Mike's memory, until he stumbled upon the briefcase after Jerry's death. Several sealed envelopes were taped to the front, each marked in Jerry's unmistakable handwriting. One was addressed to his parents, another to his youngest son, and a third to his ex-wife. Strangely, the briefcase was not available to Mike. The briefcase was not available to Mike. The final envelope featured the contact details of an attorney based in Kansas City. Scrawled across this envelope was the chilling instruction to Mike he had previously forewarned. It read, Mike, do not open alone. Mike took the briefcase, stashed it in the trunk of his car, then placed a call to the attorney listed on the envelope. John O'Connor was open. He was a high-profile criminal defense lawyer who had crossed paths with Jerry Cassaday during his years in law enforcement, usually when representing clients Jerry was trying to convict. Despite being on opposite sides of the courtroom, the two men shared mutual respect and had gotten along well. John was at home on Friday February 11 when Mike Cassaday called. He was stunned to learn that Jerry had taken the briefcase. He said, and even more so, that his contact details had been found on a briefcase hidden under his bed. John arranged to meet with the Cassadays to examine the contents of the case together. Given what the family shared about Jerry's troubles, John approached the situation with caution. He feared the briefcase might contain some form of revenge for the slights Jerry had endured throughout his life. Rather than opening it himself, John handed the case over to Kansas City Police's Bomb Disposal Unit. The team agreed to inspect it for explosives without examining or disturbing its contents. Carefully, they popped open one of the latches to get a glimpse inside. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content. The internet had opened up a new world for Jerry Cassaday. It offered a welcome escape from the real-world troubles weighing on him, from his fall from grace in the police force to his impending divorce. He quickly became immersed in the world wide web, spending hours in online chat rooms, mostly talking to women. Between April and May 1999, Jerry began telling friends and family about a 27-year-old woman he'd met online. They first connected on a forum, and then they started talking on the internet. They first connected on a forum about Reno, Nevada, where they exchanged tips about the city. From there, they began emailing, messaging, and calling each other regularly. Despite their 10-year age difference, Jerry felt they had a lot in common. The woman was a divorced mother of three from Michigan and was financially well-off, thanks to several businesses she owned. Jerry's friends and family were incredulous. He knew him to be a hopeless romantic, someone easily swept up in relationships fueled by passion. In those moments, he often set aside the critical thinking that had made him a skilled detective, becoming overly trusting and asking too few questions. Given his ongoing struggles, they saw him as especially vulnerable and worried he was diving headfirst into a reckless situation with someone he hadn't even met. To Jerry's loved ones, his online romance seemed less like a genuine connection and more like a source of emotional validation. But to Jerry, the love he felt was real. In mid-July 1999, Jerry's online crush agreed to fly out to meet him in person for the first time. Jerry was beside himself with excitement. He told anyone who would listen, gushing about how beautiful charming and wonderful this woman was. Any doubts others had raised were silenced the moment the two met in person. The woman was exactly who she claimed to be online, a young, vibrant and petite blue-eyed blonde who drew attention wherever she went. Her name was Cherie Miller. After months of seducing each other online, Jerry and Cherie fell in love. To outsiders, they resembled infatuated high schoolers, defining their brief time together with intense physical affection. After they parted ways, Jerry wrote Cherie a long email describing their encounter as profoundly meaningful. He wrote that the day they met marked a new beginning free from the emptiness that had defined his 38 years. Cherie had brought purpose and desire to the world. He said, to his life that had previously felt aimless. That one special night, an angel came to me, Jerry wrote. She opened my eyes, she opened my heart, and she taught me what it is to truly love from deep within. From what Jerry understood, Cherie was married to a man named Jeff Miller. Jeff had been the love of her life until he was married to a man named Jerry Miller. He was married to a man named Jerry Miller. He was mortally injured while constructing their dream home. With his prognosis grim, Jeff was moved into a nursing home where Cherie visited regularly with her young children and took on the role of his caretaker. She told Jerry she was supported through this difficult time by Jeff's older brother, Bruce, who had been a tremendous help. Then, during a second meet-up with Jerry in August, Cherie abruptly returned to the hospital. She said, after receiving devastating news, Jeff had passed away. Just when it seemed that Jerry and Cherie could finally be together, she shared more troubling news. After Jeff's death, out of obligation to his family, Cherie had quickly remarried, this time to Jeff's brother, Bruce. Although Bruce had confessed to having always loved her, Cherie admitted she had serious reservations about their marriage. Bruce, a car wrecker, old enough to be her father, had never been someone she viewed romantically. Their personalities were starkly different. Years of hard, outdoor labour and working two jobs had taken their toll on Bruce. With his children grown and gone, he was easing into the slower pace of retirement. He lived his life to the fullest. He was a man of his word. Simply. and frugally, content to spend long days at his scrapyard dismantling and repairing cars. Cherie, on the other hand, was impulsive, pleasure-seeking, and loved to go out. She spent freely and had a constant craving for excitement, attention, and intimacy. Bruce struggled to keep up. While Jerry Cassaday was drawn to Cherie's vivaciousness, he wasn't happy about her marriage to Bruce Miller. His apprehension grew when she revealed that Bruce was involved in counterfeiting, money laundering, and illicit drugs. She also confided that Bruce was exploiting her wealth, though she was reluctant to confront him in fear of his criminal connections. According to Cherie, she didn't marry Bruce for love, but because she didn't want to lose the close friendship they had built. She maintained that her feelings for Jerry remained unchanged. Jerry reciprocated her devotion, writing in an email to her, You are, as usual, on my mind and in my heart. I love you and truly hope all works out. According to Cherie, Bruce was aware of her affair with the Jerry Cassaday. He didn't seem overly concerned, chalking it up to lingering emotional baggage she carried after Jeff's death. In her emails to Jerry, Cherie brought up the idea of divorce, admitting her marriage had been rushed and ill-considered. Yet, Bruce wasn't willing to let her go easily. He convinced her to take a long vacation with him in an effort to repair their relationship. Jerry was disheartened by Cherie's willingness to capitulate to Bruce. She insisted it was the safest option, warning that Bruce had threatened to make any separation long, messy, and painful if she didn't try to fix things first. Nevertheless, the situation weighed heavily on Jerry, with the tangled love triangle adding turmoil to his already unstable life. Cherie tried to reassure him, endlessly talking about their future together and describing their bond as "boundless". Jerry agreed wholeheartedly, but Cherie's reluctance to fully commit eventually pushed him away. In time, he began ignoring her messages. Sensing his retreat, Cherie stopped discussing the mounting conflict between herself, Jerry, and Bruce, and instead, flooded him with racy, sexually-charged, messages and photos to re-ignite his lust. She even mailed Jerry an explicit home video of herself to further entice him. But it was an entirely different video that struck a chord in Jerry. Cherie had filmed herself and her children going about their daily lives, singing karaoke, playing on the lawn, and laughing together. She narrated softly in the background, crafting an idealised image of a wholesome, joyful, and drama-free family life that could be Jerry's if only he proved himself worthy. "Make me see that nothing is worth losing this love," she pleaded. "Make me see that I need to run as fast as I can to be there with you in a perfect love." Jerry was taken in by Cherie's declarations and devised a plan. They were set to meet for the third time in September, and during that visit, Jerry intended to sweep her off her feet. By doing so, he hoped to convince her to leave Bruce for good. "We are about to embark on a journey no one has ever known," Jerry wrote to Cherie before she arrived. "We have both chosen to leave the life we know behind and venture into this endeavour together." The weekend they spent together was intimate, but Cherie inevitably returned to Michigan and to Bruce. Still, Jerry couldn't stay upset for long as she had left him with major news. She was pregnant with their child, conceived during their first meeting in July. Jerry was overjoyed. His friends and family, however, were conflicted. Some saw the situation as far-fetched and remained sceptical of Cherie, believing Jerry still didn't know her well enough to trust her. Even Jerry found himself questioning some of Cherie's claims at times. But whenever he did, she would slip into self-pity, saying things like: "I'm sorry you think everything I've said is a lie." Overcome with guilt, Jerry would abandon his suspicions and do what he was told to do. "I'm sorry you think everything I've said is a lie." And do whatever it took to make things right again. Cherie also had a tendency to send mixed messages. During visits with the Jerry, she confided in his friends that she wanted to break ties with him, complaining that he called and emailed her too much. But whenever Jerry was present, she appeared to be madly in love. Others worried that Jerry's unresolved personal and financial issues, and the fact that he still wasn't legally divorced, meant he was in no position to bring a child into the world. Jerry dismissed these concerns. To him, the pregnancy was proof that he had finally won Cherie once and for all. It was only a matter of time before they could begin the life they dreamed of. Still, Cherie refused to leave Bruce because there was something else going on in Michigan, she'd been keeping secret. In late September, Cherie opened up to Jerry about the reality of her marriage. She revealed that Bruce controlled her finances, leaving her with a meagre amount of cash to live on. He had also been physically abusive. Jerry, who had dealt extensively with domestic violence during his time as a detective, urged Cherie to take her kids and move to the U.S. and live there for the rest of her life. And that's what she did. She didn't leave. She replied in all caps: "I can't." Cherie then confessed the devastating news that Bruce had violently raped her, resulting in her miscarrying Jerry's baby. Jerry comforted Cherie, telling her none of this was her fault and that he still loved her. But he burned with rage towards Bruce. Cherie pleaded with him to let her handle it. "He will pay," Cherie wrote. "How?" Jerry asked. "He will. Just know that." The two messaged late into the night and picked up again the next morning. By then, Cherie had begun suggesting that Bruce should pay for killing their baby. She wondered if anyone would suspect her if he died under suspicious circumstances. She didn't think so, given they were viewed as an "ideal" couple. Jerry flat out told her it was a bad idea. He knew better than most that killers often got caught because they talked too much and tripped over their own lies. "People always offer more information than they should." "Always," he wrote. "Loose lips sink ships." "Fine," Cherie replied. "There's nothing wrong with that." "Then I will wait here until he dies. The only other option is waiting until he kills himself." "Or helping him to," Jerry responded. Cherie brainstormed ideas like giving Bruce more cigarettes, feeding him grease, or finding ways to speed up cancer. Jerry entertained the discussion, but ultimately returned to his original advice: Cherie should just leave. "Murder was too extreme, and partners were always prime suspects. She would never get away with it." "Okay," she wrote. "You scared me out of it." Jerry steered the conversation toward planning their future together, but Cherie reminded him that Bruce was still an obstacle standing in the way. "If he was not living, it would be easier," she said. Unconvinced, Jerry advised Cherie on ways she could leave Bruce without causing his death. He told her to keep a diary documenting Bruce's abuse for future police investigations. But Cherie feared Bruce's reaction if he ever found it. Jerry even planned to cut back on his own expenses and pool his modest resources to get her the funds to flee. He believed that if Cherie ran away from Bruce, he would be able to save him. He also believed that if Cherie would just abandon Bruce the, quote, "worthless piece of shit" would self-destruct and die on his own volition. Cherie ultimately didn't follow through with Jerry's advice. To his dismay, she sought to patch things up with Bruce instead, while insisting she would leave him eventually. When Jerry expressed his disappointment, Cherie sank back into self-pity and urged him to walk away, making him feel guilty. But he couldn't bring himself to quit. That arsehole killed our baby, he fired back. Jerry insisted that no matter what promises Bruce made, he would eventually hurt Cherie again, and maybe even her children. When they met in person the next time, Jerry continued to paint a picture of the carefree life they could share if Cherie just ended things with Bruce for good. Cherie promised to be with Jerry, but once again, Cherie was not. She returned to Michigan. In late October 1999, Cherie emailed Jerry several photos of herself holding a positive pregnancy test, announcing joyfully she was pregnant with his child again. I love you, Jerry replied to the news. We will be together. We will live a wonderful, happy life together. But behind the scenes, things were unravelling. Jerry began receiving taunting messages online from a user named BD Junk, who he quickly realised was Bruce Miller. At first, Jerry ignored Bruce's attempts to provoke him, even after Bruce learned about Cherie's latest pregnancy. But the messages kept coming, growing increasingly personal. Bruce targeted Jerry's insecurity, and stoked his jealousy. He claimed Cherie was suffering consequences for her infidelity, and asked whether Jerry felt good knowing she was hurting because of their love. According to Bruce, tensions at home were escalating. He boasted of his violence towards Cherie, and claimed that during one argument, she came at him with a knife. Bruce issued Jerry an exclamation, "Back off," or he would press charges against Cherie for the assault. "She loves me. She is still here with me in our happy home," Bruce wrote. "I guess you're not smart enough to see. She will never leave me." Meanwhile, Cherie continued to bombard Jerry with reminders of the fears she lived in, including a photo of Bruce sitting in a chair, staring at the camera. She urged him to give up the idea that he was pregnant with his daughter, and that she would not give up the idea that he was pregnant with his daughter. Meanwhile, Cherie continued to bombard Jerry with reminders of the fears she lived in. She urged Jerry to notice the look in Bruce's menacing eyes, the ones that terrified her. The intense saga was taking its toll on Jerry's mental health. "I just don't know what else to say anymore," Jerry replied, disheartened. "This all hurts so much." Overwhelmed and desperate, he confided his thoughts of suicide. Cherie responded coldly: "I would never stay with such a weak man who would end his life over a woman." Jerry clung to hope, assuring her his love would never fade, and expressing his dream that she would one day become Cherie Cassaday. But Cherie seemed defeated. After repeatedly refusing Jerry's pleas to leave Bruce, she started to blame herself, saying she deserved the abuse. Once again, she encouraged Jerry to walk away from their relationship. His response, in bold capital letters, read: "I would never have gotten this far without you, without the promises you made and the hope you gave me. Was it all lies?" Cherie insisted her love for Jerry was real, but said that Bruce's torment was breaking her. She barely ate or slept and worried she was nearing a breakdown. Leaving Bruce didn't feel like a solution. She believed he would never stop hunting her, and feared retaliation from his criminal ties. Cherie returned to the idea that Bruce had to die. Again, Jerry insisted that death wasn't the answer. He tried to stay optimistic, reminding her of their future and the baby. But Cherie remained bleak. "How many have to die in my soul before he dies in my sight? I want to live again, and living is what I will do when he dies." One day, Cherie sent Jerry a short story she had written that mirrored her troubled marriage. The story ended with the tormented woman finally seeing a way out, but she lacked the, quote, "tool" to carry it through. Cherie asked Jerry to read between the lines. On another occasion, she encouraged him to watch the film Eye for an Eye, a psychological thriller about a grieving mother who took justice into her own hands. Cherie also started referring to Jerry as her "Guardian Angel", telling him: "It is driving me insane trying to find something or someone to help me end this. I am to the point of going to Detroit, picking up a bum on the streets, and paying him a small fortune to do what I want." She later claimed she was "talking to people" who could resolve her problems, and even admitted to obtaining a pistol. Sensing Jerry's disapproval, she later reassured him that she had cleaned the gun thoroughly and thrown it in a dumpster. On Friday October 29, Cherie messaged Jerry with an uncharacteristically jubilant update. She had just returned from a prenatal checkup and found out she was carrying twins. She described hearing their heartbeats as being like "hearing a sunrise". Jerry was elated. When he asked for ultrasound photos, Cherie claimed Bruce was nearby. Later that evening, she emailed him four blurry ultrasound images, followed later by photos of herself cradling her growing belly. Jerry eagerly saved all the images to his computer. He expressed a desire to travel to Flint to attend Cherie's next appointment, but still had no desire to come back. He said he wanted to go back to his home town in New York City. He said he wanted to travel to Flint to attend Cherie's next appointment, but still had no desire to come back. but still had no desire to confront Bruce. By this point, Jerry was trying to turn his life around. He was attending therapy, reconnecting with his faith and working to overcome his addictions. His progress left Cherie feeling ashamed of her own inability to change. Falling back into her pattern of self-pity, she wrote to him, Their conversations online and over the phone often ended in arguments. Cherie was frustrated that Jerry didn't grasp how desperate her situation truly was. One morning, Jerry surprised Cherie by announcing he was coming to visit her in Flint. Her reaction was confusing. Initially shocked and resistant, she eventually resigned herself to the idea. I don't even know what to say to you today or what to write. I guess I am going to get ready for work and end this, she said, before logging off the internet. Though her enthusiasm was lacking, she still sent him directions to B&D Auto Salvage, saying she'd meet him there when Bruce wasn't around. Jerry drove 13km, 15 hours from Missouri to Michigan, leaving early on Wednesday, November 3, 1999. When he arrived at the scrapyard and met Cherie, her earlier hesitation seemed to vanish. They spent the night together at a local motel. Jerry returned home two days later, where an email from Cherie awaited him. She thanked him for the visit and apologised for not being able to stay with him longer. I realised how much you really do love me, she wrote. Jerry didn't hear from Cherie again for a while. The silence was deafening as they were used to exchanging countless emails, instant messages and phone calls daily. When an email finally arrived, it wasn't from Cherie. It came from BD Junk, the online account used by Bruce Miller. The subject line, written in all caps, read: "You should read this." The email spanned three pages and was typed entirely in capital letters. Cherie is growing fat with two bastards in her arms. her, Bruce had written. He claimed Cherie had decided to have an abortion because she didn't want to gain weight, adding that she'd rather screw everything in sight than carry Jerry's children. He called the abortion a smart decision for Jerry, sparing him from paying child support for the, quote, two bastards floating around with his last name. He also alluded to Jerry and Cherie's recent motel stay, suggesting he knew all about their sneaking around. Despite this, Bruce taunted that his wife had chosen to stay with him, referring to her as the little bitch. The message sent Jerry into a frenzy. He tried calling Cherie, but she didn't answer. He called local hospitals to see if she had been admitted into any with no success. Exhausting every other option, he emailed Cherie, expressing concern and asking where she was. Hours passed with no response. Then, just after midday, Jerry received another message from the BDJunk account. This time, it didn't appear to be from Bruce. Jerry, this is Cherie, the message read. "I am going away for a few days. I will contact you next week sometime." Two hours later, Bruce's inbox was flooded with resources for women coping with pregnancy loss sent from BDJunk. Feeling helpless, Jerry replied sadly, "Still checking for you, honey. Love you." The next day, BDJunk returned to Jerry's inbox. In his signature all-caps style, he mocked Jerry as a coward for not confronting him directly. He claimed Cherie had performed sex acts on him the previous day, all while shouting his name and professing her love for him. He ended the email with a taunt: "Thank you for making my relationship with my wife better. We are on the mans and it's thanks to you." It was signed: Bruce. Hours later, Jerry finally reached Cherie by phone. She denied the abortion story, but said the truth was far worse. Bruce had flown into a violent rage, beating and raping her. Two of his scrapyard associates also took part in the vicious assault. She said it was retaliation for her relationship. She claimed that she had a relationship with Jerry, and she feared the attack would cause another miscarriage. She sent photos of her injuries to Jerry as proof. His fury was palpable. Exhausted, Cherie said she needed rest and logged offline. In the meantime, an enraged Jerry formulated a plan. He called his older brother Mike Cassaday and said he was heading to the Cassaday building. He said he'd stay at the Cassaday family's lake cabin for a few days to clear his head. "If anything happens to me," Jerry warned, "there's a briefcase under the bed at home." He told Mike he'd know what to do once he found it. Confused and concerned by the odd request, Mike urged Jerry to cancel the trip and explain. But Jerry refused. Before hanging up, he said that if he wasn't back by 6pm in two days' time, to go get the briefcase. By the time Mike Cassaday retrieved the briefcase three months later on Friday February 11 2000, Jerry had already died by suicide. After the Kansas City Police Bomb Disposal Unit cleared the case of containing any hazardous materials, they handed it back to Mike and Criminal Defense Attorney John O'Connor, whose contact information Jerry had written on an envelope taped to the front. Inside was a letter to John that read: "Should you receive this letter then one of two things has occurred. One, I am dead and need you to see things for me. Secondly, I would be in jail for something which I would need your assistance." The letter explained how Jerry had fallen in love with a woman named Cherie Miller from Michigan who was married to a man named Bruce, an organized crime figure and domestic abuser. The contents of the briefcase filled in the rest. It held compact discs, photographs, a floppy disk, and a trove of printed emails and online chat transcripts. Though often disjointed and hard to follow, the materials revealed a deeply interesting story behind the death of Jerry. The materials revealed a deeply troubled and dangerous love triangle between Jerry, Cherie, and Bruce. The records detailed disturbing claims of domestic violence, pregnancies, miscarriage, and even gang rape. Supporting these claims were many photos including ultrasound images, pictures of Cherie cradling her protruding belly, and others showing her body covered in bruises. Jerry had meticulously preserved at all. The details of the briefcase revealed that he had never been in a relationship with a woman who was married to a woman of the same age as him. The briefcase revealed that he had never been in a relationship with a woman of the same age as him, leaving the briefcase to be discovered if he didn't return from a planned trip to his family's cabin the previous November. But he did return, and life seemingly resumed as normal. Then, three months later, he inexplicably took his own life. Inside the briefcase, however, was his explanation. It turned out Jerry hadn't gone to the lake cabin after all. The printouts of the online chat transcripts and emails revealed a disturbing turn. After Cherie claimed that Bruce had arranged for her to be gang raped, Jerry had a change of heart about confronting him. Though Cherie never explicitly used the word "murder", she outlined a meticulous step-by-step plan for Jerry to come face-to-face with Bruce at B&D Auto Salvage the following evening. "Just do it and get the hell out of there," she ordered. Meanwhile, she would stay at home playing the distressed wife and securing an alibi. Cherie promised that once it was over, she would finally leave Michigan to be with Jerry and raise their babies together. Her messages were laced with passionate declarations of love, which Jerry readily returned. Their exchange ended around 1:48pm. On Monday November 8 1999: "Bye Jerry," Cherie wrote. "Promise to always love me." Within the briefcase, Jerry provided a detailed confession of what transpired next. He followed Cherie's plan to the letter. By 2am, he was on the road to Michigan, arriving in Flint that afternoon. He waited until 6pm, the time Cherie said she would be arranging her take-out dinner alibi. Jerry then drove down the long dirt road to B&D Auto's office and entered holding his 20-gauge shotgun. Bruce sat stunned behind the front counter. Jerry paused, savouring the moment of having the dreaded Bruce Miller at his mercy. He announced, "Hi, I'm Jerry," then pulled the trigger. As instructed by Cherie, Jerry took Bruce's wallet and the wad of cash from his front shirt pocket to stage the crime as a robbery. He then raced back to Missouri, dismantling the murder weapon along the way and scattering its parts in remote, forgettable places where they would never be found. To Jerry's complete surprise, Cherie's attitude towards Bruce was the same as that of Bruce's mother. Cherie's attitude towards him shifted unexpectedly following Bruce's murder. She began avoiding his calls and offering only sparse, lukewarm replies to his emails. Jerry's heartfelt declarations of love, once met with enthusiasm, began to go largely ignored. A month after Bruce was gunned down, Jerry made an unannounced trip to Flint to rekindle things with Cherie. The pair spent the night together and spent several days together. The couple spent the night together, but the two stayed together at a motel, during which he proposed, and she accepted. But the motel moment of joy was short-lived. Jerry returned to Missouri the next day, only to be met with silence from Cherie once again. I know I haven't written for some time now, she admitted in one of her rare emails. I am just depressed today about several things. She told Jerry that while she was happy with him, a conversation they'd had about money during their motel stay had upset her. Jerry was running low on funds and, believing Cherie to be wealthy, reasonably assumed she might help him. After all, he was the father of her two unborn children and had killed for her. But Cherie didn't take kindly to this request and after that admission, she withdrew from him. Jerry's life unravelled further as a result of Cherie's cold shoulder. He sank back into the water, but he was still alive. He was still alive. He sank back into a deep depression, returning to drugs and alcohol to cope. He confided in family members that he had done something he never thought himself capable of and couldn't see a way out. They assumed he was talking about his divorce and didn't grasp the true depth of his despair. Meanwhile, Jerry continued reaching out to Cherie. Did you give up on me? He messaged. When there was no response, he followed up days later with a simple plea. Where are you? Jerry scoured Cherie's online presence for answers. He soon found a recent photo she had posted of herself in her bedroom with a man he didn't recognise. In a subsequent email to Cherie titled, This is very important. I wouldn't ignore this if I were you. Jerry confessed that her lack of communication with Cherie was the reason why she was not able to meet him. He said, that her lack of communication was driving him to the brink of insanity. He lamented how she had eagerly accepted his marriage proposal only to abandon him immediately after. He shared that he had taken out a loan from his mother to buy a plane ticket to Flint and hoped she'd welcome him at the airport. But when Jerry arrived, Cherie was nowhere to be found. Jerry headed to her house, arriving at midnight. As usual, she was absorbed in her computer, where she spent most nights watching pornography and having erotic conversations in X-rated chat rooms. When Cherie opened the door, Jerry begged her to marry him that very night. She refused and, to Jerry's devastation, admitted she was seeing someone else. Unbeknownst to Jerry, in the immediate aftermath of Bruce's murder, Cherie had done a relationship with another man. It was typical behaviour for Cherie, who had a reputation for dating much of Flint before and after marrying Bruce Miller. Throughout their relationship and marriage, Cherie had engaged in multiple affairs. Bruce had been warned about some of them, but true to his pacifist nature, he seemed to turn a blind eye. Still, those around him noticed his once mellow self, growing increasingly sour as the marriage wore on. Devastated by Cherie's betrayal, Jerry lashed out, calling her a whore. Realising their relationship was effectively over, he revealed he had hidden a briefcase containing evidence of their plan to murder Bruce Miller. Jerry then demanded money. Stunned by his blackmail attempt, Cherie composed herself and asked him to leave, saying she needed time to think. Shortly after, she sent Jerry an email using a warm and conciliatory tone, trying to discourage him from doing anything reckless. She apologised for cheating on him, took full responsibility for hurting him, and expressed her remorse. In case he didn't believe her sincerity, she offered him $3,000 to keep quiet. In his reply, Jerry reiterated his love for her, but ultimately accepted her offer. However, the money never came, and Cherie went silent again. In mid-January 2000, Jerry sent Cherie a bitter diatribe, venting how he had always prioritised her needs and desires, only to be left with nothing. The money was finally lifted, and Jerry could see through Cherie's mind games. He wrote, I have always believed everything you have told me and taken it at face value, regardless of how strange it may have seemed at the time or how it looks in retrospect. I am just to the point that I can look at things with a clear head and clear mind and reflect back over the last year of my life. After that, Jerry began planning his suicide. He wrote goodbyes to his parents, his youngest son, and his ex-wife, apologising for the pain he was about to inflict upon them. He also wrote a confession that he left in an envelope addressed to criminal defence lawyer John O'Connor. Jerry revealed everything about his affair with Cherie Miller and his role in the unsolved murder of Bruce Miller in Michigan. He wrote, adding, Cherie was involved and helped set it up. She wanted all her money and no more husband. Well, she got her wish, but she will soon learn that she can't do that to people. Though he admitted he was, quote, taking the coward's way out, Jerry said he couldn't face the prospect of going to prison as a former police officer. He placed his letters and sent confession with all the evidence he had saved over the months in the briefcase under his bed intended for his brother Mike to find. He then wrote one final farewell, this time in an email to Cherie, which he titled, Something to Think About. Again, he condemned her for the lies, manipulation, and false promises she had used against him to get what she wanted. After reminding her about the briefcase, he warned, Now you get to live in fear for a while, wondering and waiting. When will they come? Well, let me assure you, it's real fucking soon. Later on the same day that Jerry Cassidy took his own life, an envelope arrived in the mail. It was from Cherie Miller and contained, the $3,000 in cash she had promised in exchange for keeping the contents of his briefcase a secret. With the money was a brief handwritten note that read, I didn't lie. I was telling the truth. But in reality, almost everything Cherie had told Jerry was a lie. The story she told about previously being married to Bruce's brother, Jeff Miller, was entirely fabricated. There was no evidence that Bruce had ever been abusive or involved in any criminal activity. The images of her bruises appeared to be faked with makeup. The messages from BD Junk, who Jerry believed was Bruce, were from Cherie. Cherie also couldn't get pregnant as she had undergone elective sterilization four years earlier. The ultrasound images she sent Jerry were from her previous pregnancies dated from the early 1990s. Had Jerry examined them closely, he might have noticed the timestamps and realized they didn't add up. As for the photos of her supposed baby bump, they were nothing more than her pushing out her stomach to sell the illusion. On Jerry's hard drive, investigators uncovered hundreds of messages he had exchanged with Cherie, with their recoveries. They also discovered the candid and explicit photos and home videos Cherie had sent Jerry. The fact that Jerry had the foresight to document everything was fortunate for the police, because a search of Cherie's computer revealed no trace of any communication with him. In a police interview following the discovery of the briefcase, Cherie Miller rejected all the overwhelming evidence. While she admitted to communicating with the Jerry Cassaday online, she denied having an affair with him, telling him she was pregnant, or that Bruce was abusive. Cherie said she didn't save any of their emails because they would clog up her hard drive. But just as Jerry Cassaday had once warned her, loose lips sink ships. Even that Cherie hadn't been arrested, minded she could leave the police interview at any time. Instead, she chose to stay and keep talking. The more she spoke, the more she tangled herself in contradictions, repeatedly getting caught in lies. At one point, she hinted at a possible motive for Bruce's murder, revealing they were under financial strain. His business was deep in debt, bills were piling up, and their home needed a new roof and furnace. Still, she continued to deny any involvement in the deaths of either Bruce or Jerry. When informed that Jerry had saved all their emails and instant messages, Cherie appeared unfazed, insisting that digital conversations could easily be fabricated. When asked directly, did you help Jerry Cassaday plan the murder of Bruce Miller, she firmly denied it. Told the transcripts of their chats outlined the murder plot, she responded flatly, you're wrong, that did not happen. Even as the messages were read aloud, Cherie dismissed them as bullshit, maintaining she hadn't authored any of them. Investigators didn't believe her and charged her with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Bruce Miller. Cherie Miller stood trial in December 2000, just over a year after her husband's death. On the stand, she maintained her innocence, portraying Jerry Cassaday as the manipulative mastermind who exploited her and repeatedly lured her back, despite her attempts to end the relationship. Once again, by choosing to speak, she exposed herself in a lie. She testified that their first intimate encounter occurred during their meet-up in August 1999. The prosecution, however, presented a photo Cherie had sent Jerry from their July meeting. On the back, she had written, July 17 1999, the first time we made love, Cherie. It was a relatively minor falsehood, but it proved she was willing to deceive the jury, which undermined her credibility. They ultimately found Cherie Miller guilty. She received a life sentence with a 20-year minimum for her conspiracy charge and an additional 54 to 81 years for second-degree murder. She would be eligible for parole in 2055 at the age of 83. After years spent pursuing appeals, in 2007, Cherie Miller was granted a retrial after a federal judge ruled that Jerry Cassaday's written confession should never have been admitted as evidence, since he was deceased and could not be cross-examined. Efforts to keep her incarcerated in the meantime failed and in July 2009, she was released on a $100,000 bond. Her time outside prison was not without controversy. Cherie was found to be active on social media, though this did not violate the terms of her release. In 2010, the Court of Appeals upheld the decision that Jerry's suicide notes were inadmissible. However, in 2012, the District Court reversed course. They reinstated Cherie's convictions and she was returned to prison to continue her sentence. She was released on a $10,000 bond. The result came as a relief to the Miller and Cassaday families, who remained firmly convinced Cherie was fully responsible for the deaths of both Bruce and Jerry. If not for her, they believed that both men would still be alive. Bruce's brother, Chuck Miller, commented, I believe she has the capacity to delude herself. She's told so many lies. She always believes what she's saying. Case investigators shared that view. One detective who interviewed Cherie three times following Bruce's murder initially believed she was innocent. She's very, very good, he admitted. I can see why people believe her, because I believed her lies. After reviewing the extensive correspondence between Cherie and Jerry, investigators concluded that Jerry wasn't a gullible fool for trusting her. Cherie was simply extraordinarily convincing. Cherie agreed to an exclusive prison interview with Mark Morris and Paul Janjewski for their book on the case, Fatal Error. She said she wanted to speak with them to give the public a fuller understanding of who she was. I'm not a perfect person, she told them, but I'm not a horrible person. I'm not a perfect person, she said. I'm not a horrible person, she said. I'm not a horrible person. In the interview, Cherie continued to deny any involvement in the deaths of Bruce Miller or Jerry Cassaday. She claimed she had no idea how Jerry had obtained the photos of her bruised body, the images that had pushed him to kill. Cherie described their online relationship as a shared fantasy involving themes of forced sex and pregnancy that spiralled out of control. She said she should have ended contact then, but didn't. While she claimed to carry guilt over Jerry's suicide, in the same breath, she stated, In reality, we kill ourselves for our own selfish reasons. How am I supposed to feel? I didn't believe he would do it. Now, I have to deal with it. Cherie also spoke about her history of lying and infidelity, attributing it to unresolved trauma from childhood sexual abuse. I lied to myself more than to other people, she admitted. I have really screwed up morals, that's for sure. I have done nothing but lie my whole life, secret after secret. But when it came to Bruce Miller and Jerry Cassaday, she asserted, I have no more secrets. I don't lie anymore. In 2016, a letter arrived for Judith Fullerton, the judge who had presided over Cherie Miller's trial in 2000. It was from Cherie herself, sent from prison. For many years, I blamed you for my coming to prison, she wrote. It was easier that way. Or so I thought. I want to tell the truth now. I know that it may mean a lot to you, but I don't know that it may make little difference to you whether I tell the truth or not. But to my husband's family, or Jerry Cassaday's family, it might mean something. In the long letter, Cherie described a shattering moment when she returned to prison after three years of freedom. As she walked through the prison doors to resume her sentence, her daughter cried out hysterically, screaming for her not to leave. Cherie wrote, After that moment, the full impact of what I had done to Bruce, his friends and family, Jerry and his friends and family, hit me at full force. They will never get to see them again. My daughter will be able to come see me. Bruce's children will never get to hug their dad again. I will still be able to feel my children's arms around me. Bruce's brother will never get to hug his dad again. I will never be able to sit down and have a conversation with him again, but my brothers can still come see me. Cherie confessed she had been maintaining a lie for the 16 years since Bruce's death. While she had tried to attribute her deceptive behaviour to childhood abuse, she acknowledged this was an attempt to shift the blame away from herself. She revealed that she had tried to confess the truth to three different attorneys, during that time, but they refused to listen. I cannot do it anymore, she wrote. I have to tell the truth. If my attorney doesn't want to hear it, I am sure Bruce's and Jerry's family will. She revealed that everything she had said about Bruce was a lie. He was a great man, she clarified. He never hurt me or my children in any way. All he did… was love us. He wanted to adopt my children. He just wanted a family. He never raised his voice to me. He gave me anything I ever wanted. I didn't have to work for anything. His love was free. She also dropped a bombshell, writing, I have lived in denial for so long that I believed my own lie. I didn't do it. Judge Fullerton, I did it. Almost exactly the way the prosecutor said I did. I had sixteen and a half hours to stop it, and I didn't. I knew it was going to happen and I allowed it. I allowed a man to kill another man based on my lies and manipulation. She went on to write, No matter how hard I try, I cannot make sense of why I thought that was okay. I don't deserve freedom. When I think of those 16 hours of waiting until Bruce was in the right place and the right time to end his life, I cannot stand to live with myself sometimes. I don't want to fight in court anymore. I don't want Bruce's or Jerry's family to have to suffer anymore. They have waited 16 years to hear me say I am guilty, I did it, and it sounds so weightless, but I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. I hurt a lot of people. I destroyed a lot of lives. It is time to end the lies and tell the truth. Thank you for not letting me in any way get away with murder, Judge Fullerton. And I am so sorry for wasting so many hours, days, weeks, and months of your time in that courtroom. I knew I was wrong and I thought I could get away with it. Today, now, I am glad I did not get away with it. you