Centerville man pleads guity to lesser charge in crash that killed teenage boy
A Centerville man who was speeding when he crashed in West Pike Run Township in April 2022, killing his 13-year-old passenger and injuring another teen, pleaded guilty to lesser charges Wednesday and will not face jail time.
Ruben William Miller, 19, agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of involuntary manslaughter in Washington County Court of Common Pleas after the victim’s family asked prosecutors and the judge for leniency.
State police said Miller was driving between 68 and 81 mph on April 8, 2022, when he lost control of his vehicle in the 100 block of Sunset Drive – where the speed limit is 40 mph – and crashed into an embankment. The vehicle rolled over and ejected Miller and one of his passengers.
Jayden Anderson, 13, of Fredericktown, was taken to Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital, where he died from multiple injuries. Miller and another 13-year-old passenger were flown by separate medical helicopters to different hospitals in Pittsburgh for treatment. The other passenger’s identity has never been released due to the youth’s age.
Miller, who was 18 at the time of the crash, was facing a felony homicide by vehicle charge in the case, but Anderson’s family asked prosecutors to drop the charge in exchange for a plea that did not require jail time. After Miller’s plea, Judge Brandon Neuman immediately sentenced Miller to serve 90 days on electronic home monitoring followed by five years on probation.
“We obviously try to be as consistent as possible, so we discussed with the victims what their expectations and hopes are and make a decision based on the facts,” Assistant District Attorney Rachel Wheeler said of the plea deal.
Anderson’s mother, Heather Laidella, who had been vocal about her wishes that Miller not be punished harshly for the crash that killed her son, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment Thursday.
Miller’s attorney, C.J. Blackwell, could not be reached for comment on the plea deal.
Miller has been free on $10,000 unsecured bond since charges were filed in March.