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SALT LAKE CITY — A convicted child killer who was seeking a compassionate release from the Utah State Prison due to medical issues will spend at least one more year behind bars.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole has denied the request made by John Pender Miller Jr., 59, for a compassionate release from prison. But the board says it will revisit his request in a year.
Miller pleaded guilty in 1981 to first-degree murder in the strangulation death and sexual abuse of 2-year-old Anne Hoskisson of Clinton. Miller, who was 15 at the time of the crime in 1980, was sentenced to up to life in prison.
In August, the board received a request for "a compassionate release for Mr. Miller due to catastrophic medical issues," from the Division of Correctional Health Services. During a special attention hearing in September before a member of the parole board, Miller was nonverbal and could only communicate by nodding or shaking his head or by waving or shaking his left hand.
During the brief hearing, Miller would often take long pauses before trying to answer basic questions.
"Can you tell me your name? Do you know what your name is?" Miller was asked. "Are you 59 years old? Can you nod yes or no?"
According to the board's decision, Miller is to have an updated medical report and psychological review completed before his next hearing, which has not been scheduled as of Monday but will happen no earlier than September of 2025.
