Authorities report a Chillicothe boy, 16-year-old Matthew Ryan Miller, has been certified as an adult to face felony charges of first-degree assault, causing serious physical injury to another youth, in an incident in early February.
Officers were told by the victim that he had been at a restaurant in Chillicothe with the two alleged assailants when they invited the victim to meet them on the railroad tracks.
When the victim arrived at the location, identified by officers as the railroad bridge just south of the 13000 block of LIV 238, the victim alleged that Miller came up behind him and began choking him, believing that Miller was joking with him. The victim blacked out briefly and upon regaining consciousness, he said Miller and the other unnamed juvenile were both choking him.
It was reported the other alleged assailant allegedly put a rope around the victim’s neck, and braced himself against the bridge in order to gain leverage for pressure. The boy’s legs and wrists were also bound with tape, preventing his escape.
The victim said that both Miller and the other teen stated that they wanted to kill him.
The assailants then attempted to stab the victim, hit him over the head with a rock, then reportedly stated they would let him go if he would kill “someone they hated worst.”
During the investigation, police report the victim’s injuries were consistent with the evidence.
The unidentified juvenile and Miller were both arrested on February 3 and authorities noted that the victim and unnamed juvenile will not be named due to their juvenile status.
Authorities report Matthew Ryan Miller is being held at the Daviess-DeKalb Regional Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash only bond. Online court information shows Miller was arraigned Tuesday with a hearing set for Wednesday afternoon, March 28 at 1:00 pm in the Associate Division of Livingston County Circuit Court.
