VERY BAD NEWS! Brandon Miller accused of murder

badasscat · Post by **badasscat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 11:13 am

catmom wrote:I guess first hand information is not good enough. I will love to see what is said when the "truth" acutually comes out about Aaron. He was not here, his car was not here. I don't trust anything that is done or said by either the paper or the police here.

Regarding the comment that he knew that Jason was dead prior to it being in the paper. Oh please!!!!!!! I have had information about things (including deaths) that have not been "released" before and that doesn't mean a darn thing. The fact that he knew that he was shot, does anyone read the paper. They said that there were gun shots heard. I tell you that the information tree here is a heck of a lot more accurate that anything I have ever read in the paper.

I don't really care if you believe me or not 1bbc about either Branden or Aaron. I know Branden. He is a nice kid that has taken the wrong path. There have been people trying to help him prior to this incident but we all failed. That is something we have to live with. We just had dinner with him at my house last week. It is all a very sad thing that has affected my family deeply. I wish I could have done more to help this nice kid. This whole thing is just so sad.

Not trying to be a smart-ass here but you may want to be a little more careful about who you have at your dinner table. You said it was last week so I guess it may have been before this incident occurred, and you had no way of knowing.

It sounds like you are close to quite a few student-athlete, is there any way you could give them some motherly advise or guide them in a positive direction some how? Did you see anything that would lead you to believe he was capable of being involved in something like this?

Guess I'm just searching for any answers right now.

thuss · Post by **thuss** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 11:28 am

catmom,

Are you still in defense of Branden Miller? I guess I am trying to find where you stand in all of this. I think you need to look at this from the viewpoint of people who don't know these guys personally. We are not trying to make personal attacks on people or point fingers. We are simply discussing the statements made in the media. You are just a name on a message board and you are as reliable as anybody else who types on here. The newspaper is our best source of information. Please do not get upset with the statements made in this forum. I really feel bad for you as well if you are as close to the individuals as you say.

catmom · Post by **catmom** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 12:03 pm

I will try and keep this as vague as possible. A few people that were associated with Branden saw him going down the wrong path. We were trying to help him with positive direction. As for the comment that he had been associating with poeple that were not doing the right thing, that is true. I saw a good heart in this kid. Yes, I am very careful of who I have at my house. The kids that I have help with that before I can ever say I don't really want him or her back. I did the best I could. You also have to understand that I can only give so much "motherly advice". I give it where I can and that is the best I can do. I don't see anyone else doing a damn thing to help any of these kids. They use them and if they screw up they throw them away. But that is another issue of why I do what I do in the first place.

Freak is a very sad case. I will not go into details on his life and what he has been throug because it is very evident to me that some just don't care and can't see the victum he has been by the system that he grew up in. He is a very guarded young man and has been deeply scared by what he has witnessed in his life. He has had only himself to rely on for a very long time. His temper has gotten him into trouble in the past and it seems it has been what caused this whole thing. He was nothing but respectful of our family when he was associated with us. I have not seen him in quite a few months. My heart breaks for this one too.

Please don't get on that band wagon that anyone can pull themselves up. I don't agree with that statement. Those people have always had some sort of support system behind them. I can tell you that Freak has not had any of that.

LTown Cat · Post by **LTown Cat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 12:45 pm

catmom wrote:He was not here, his car was not here.

The Chronicle flat out said the car belonged to Aaron---are they wrong on that point?

catmom · Post by **catmom** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:11 pm

LTown Cat wrote:
catmom wrote:He was not here, his car was not here.
The Chronicle flat out said the car belonged to Aaron---are they wrong on that point?

Someone said that Aaron owned a car that was the kind of car that the "Concerned Citizen" saw that night. The cops and the paper have run with it. Whether it is true or not. It doesn't seem to matter. He has done everything that they have asked of him. He came down here and talked to the cops. They are now in possession of his car. He does not know and has never met either Branden or Freak. He is however was good friend of Jason's. They have put his name out there as if he is guilty and they at this point don't have anything other than "cc" and the fact that they saw a car that looks like the one he owns (regardless of the tire tracks). He does not live here and he and his car were in the town that he lives in miles away.

LTown Cat · Post by **LTown Cat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:14 pm

catmom wrote:
LTown Cat wrote:
catmom wrote:He was not here, his car was not here.
The Chronicle flat out said the car belonged to Aaron---are they wrong on that point?
Someone said that Aaron owned a car that was the kind of car that the "Concerned Citizen" saw that night. The cops and the paper have run with it. Whether it is true or not. It doesn't seem to matter. He has done everything that they have asked of him. He came down here and talked to the cops. They are now in possession of his car. He does not know and has never met either Branden or Freak. He is however was good friend of Jason's. They have put his name out there as if he is guilty and they at this point don't have anything other than "cc" and the fact that they saw a car that looks like the one he owns (regardless of the tire tracks). He does not live here and he and his car were in the town that he lives in miles away.

All that being said and if you are correct I would agree with you 100% that the Chronicle overstepped their boundary and did in fact---assume some rumors to be facts, because their article in no uncertain terms states that the vehicle "belongs to former MSU basketball player Aaron Rich".

Grizlaw · Post by **Grizlaw** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:36 pm

Not that I have any particular interest in defending the Chronicle, but one thing we might want to keep in mind is that the media only knows what the police choose to tell them, so it might not necessarily be fair to put all the blame on the Chronicle if innocent people get dragged through the mud over this. It could be bad reporting, but their reporting can only be as good as the information they receive.

--GL

LTown Cat · Post by **LTown Cat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:40 pm

Grizlaw wrote:Not that I have any particular interest in defending the Chronicle, but one thing we might want to keep in mind is that the media only knows what the police choose to tell them, so it might not necessarily be fair to put all the blame on the Chronicle if innocent people get dragged through the mud over this. It could be bad reporting, but their reporting can only be as good as the information they receive.

--GL

True--that is why I am amazed if it wasn't his car, because of the way they were so blunt about it being his in the paper.

mslacat · Post by **mslacat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:36 pm

bobcatgrad2005 wrote:It seems to me that its easy for people outside of college athletics to point fingers and place blame on a school. The truth of the matter is that, for the most part, all of us "civillians," are only responsible for outselves, or our children, while coaches and associated staffs bear the reposibility of riding herd on 300+ college kids between the ages of 18 and 24. People need to remember the mistakes they made between those ages, and have some compassion for the administration that is certaintly shaken by this.

Well Said

Go Cats !

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:46 pm

What a emotional rollercoaster this last couple days have been. First we sign Bobby Howard, and I'm as excited as I can be, then this whole tragedy. Talk about going from cloud 9 to the pits in a hurry.

CatFamily · Post by **CatFamily** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:32 pm

Once again MslaCat... you take charge with class to put perspective on things. Great post!

CatFamily · Post by **CatFamily** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:33 pm

My error... that was Bobcatpride who did the great post! Thanks... so well said.

supercat · Post by **supercat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:34 pm

is it me or do some people still think that these two guys are still "respectful" or "good" people,because from what i know these are two accused soon to be convicted murders.i dont know these guys,but what i do know from reading and watching the news is that miller admitted to the crime of helping with the whole thing.and im sure he spilled the whole beans on who else was involved and gave the police what they needed to get to the bottom of this.catmom,i understand your involvement with the two individuals and the fact is that they werent what you thought they would be.they didnt just steal candy from a store or get an MIP.they are involved in a murder,which by the way is something really serious.but if some still think they are "good" kids than by all mean still think that,but from all the evidence and talking miller has done both will be in prison for a long time or just one with the other joining Mr.Wright.

1BadBobcat · Post by **1BadBobcat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:53 pm

Catmom - you state Branden is a good kid who just took the wrong path. Put an assault charge on his record and now murder. When you add these two up, you can no longer use the term "good" to describe him. He may have been good at one time, but he'll have the rest of his life behind bars to figure out where he went wrong. No longer a good kid - now a criminal.

As to Rich, nobody on this board pointed fingers at him or accused him of anything. We know only what is being given to us from the police, the media, and those close to the case. We are just trying to sort everything out. Hopefully he is not involved, or anyone else for that matter.

And lastly, please get off your soapbox about being the only one who cares about the athletes and that they are being used by their respective schools. Most get their educations paid for (or partially), have superstar status on campus, and usually are offered great employment opportunities right after school. Please, I went to school - I saw athletes get to slide by in class just because they were the star on the team. I had a good friend who was a prof. at MSU many years ago and he told of stories where he had to pass athletes because of pressure from the athletic dept. I know I didn't have that kind of help in the classroom. I remember my first year of college at Eastern MT College: the starting 5 guys on the men's BB team got to take Introductory to Basketball as one the required courses. Please, and that's just a small school. I wish I could "used" like that. Sorry, but I don't buy into the sob story. These kids are well aware of the situation when they come onto campus. If they can't handle it, don't sign the committment.

bobcatmaniac · Post by **bobcatmaniac** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:54 pm

Grizlaw wrote:Not that I have any particular interest in defending the Chronicle, but one thing we might want to keep in mind is that the media only knows what the police choose to tell them, so it might not necessarily be fair to put all the blame on the Chronicle if innocent people get dragged through the mud over this. It could be bad reporting, but their reporting can only be as good as the information they receive.

--GL

I wish you were 100% correct, GL, unfortunately with the experiences I have had with the press, they will twist whatever they want. If you piss them off, they will misquote you. Yes, you could go back and hire some rich New York City attorney-

-but who wants to spend the time and money to only make matters worse. You have great posts on this thread. Thank the Lord there are some decent UM grads !!!

Post by **SonomaCat** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:16 pm

There's nothing wrong with someone who knows a person to call them a "good kid that went down the wrong path." If they are viewing things from a personal standpoint, we should respect that ... especially if they are not trying to condone what was done.

If I had a close friend who made a tragic mistake, I wouldn't forget all of the good things about them and focus exclusively on their mistake. At the same time, I would mourn for their mistake with them and torture myself by asking if there was anything that I could have done to stop it ... and that seems to be going on with people in this thread as well.

catmom apparently has a personal connection to the people involved, and doesn't have the luxury of divorcing herself from that and looking at it in a black and white way like the rest of us do. With that in mind, let's give each other a very wide berth to mourn these senseless and tragic mistakes each in our own way.

profisme · Post by **profisme** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:19 pm

As for the situation with Branden Miller and "Freak", I think nearly everything that could be said has been in this instance. Their consequences for their actions will be very severe, former athletes or not. Neither one of them has the resources or stature of an O.J. Simpson or Ray Lewis. As for the paper naming Jacques Wilson, I think that was a distasteful move on the Chronicle's part. They could have left the locker generic and not named whose it was because at this point any involvement that is unconfirmed is merely conjecture.

This really doesn't surprise me that the Chronicle could go do something like this. Not only do they involve Aaron Rich and Jacques Wilson directly, but they went to the trouble of naming three seperate local businesses as well. This is simply, in my opinion, a blatant disregard for any sort of propriety in journalism. If you were to shoot a gopher with a bazooka you would undoubtedly kill the gopher, but there would also be considerable collateral damage. That is very much the situation we are facing here with the Chronicle and its shotty (no pun intended) reporting.

That is simply my opinion.

Bleedinbluengold · Post by **Bleedinbluengold** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:52 pm

If I may break the tension in here briefly w/a bit of levity:

What the heck is Aaron doing with a friggin' MAROON car?!!!

longhorn_22 · Post by **longhorn_22** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:56 pm

Bleedinbluengold wrote:If I may break the tension in here briefly w/a bit of levity:

What the heck is Aaron doing with a friggin' MAROON car?!!!

Thats actually pretty funny. Good tension breaker.

CatGrad00 · Post by **CatGrad00** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:14 pm

tetoncat wrote:this is horrible news, wether we like it or not, it will be tied to MSU athletics. People do need to remember that there are bad seeds in every community whether that be a town, univerity or other. The athletic teams are part of the university and although coaches will try their best to figure out a kids character there is no way they can be 100% sure. This sounds like two kids who had great talent and opportunity, squandered it away and could not recover from that, ending up going down the wrong road.

This is just the topping on the cake with recuiting bad kids at MSU......JC transfers, shady characters. Miller was a problem from the day he arrived on campus...wouldn't listen to anyone, argued with coaches, pain in the ass to teammates.........MSU better wake up soon or all recruits and maybe some more returners will leave. Would you send your son to play at a college in which a murder weapon was found in one of the current players locker? What is Miller even allowed on campus, or at least in the athletic complex? You have to be ****** me! By the way, how well did the seniors this year do in the classroom and how many received degrees? A joke! I feel REAL sorry for the new coaching staff......this problem was created by others.