Midnight Rider director Randall Miller is denied the early end of his probation for involuntary manslaughter in 2014 on the set of the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones
A Georgia appeals court has denied filmmaker Randall Miller’s motion to early terminate his probation in his involuntary manslaughter case resulting from an on-set accident.
Miller, 60, is now serving an additional two years of probation, Variety reported Saturday.
The filmmaker pleaded guilty in March 2015 after being charged following the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones, who was hit by a freight train while filming scenes on a railway bridge for the Greg Allman biopic Midnight Rider.
He was sentenced to one year in prison followed by a 10-year suspended sentence.
A Georgia appeals court has denied director Randall Miller’s request for early termination of his probation in his involuntary manslaughter case resulting from an on-set accident. Miller, 60, is now serving an additional two years of probation, Variety reported
The filmmaker has made multiple attempts to change parole restrictions since his release from prison in 2016.
His latest attempt to have the sentence overturned came amid a new law in Georgia that reduces the suspended sentence for first-time offenders.
After Judge Anthony Harrison’s request was denied, the director’s legal team appealed the decision to the Georgia Court of Appeals and requested that a new judge be assigned to the case.
Miller, who directed films including The Sixth Man, Class Act and Houseguest, was banned from directing films as part of his sentencing.
The judge was very upset about a violation of Miller’s parole in 2019 while he was making a film called Higher Grounds. Although the infraction was not enough to land him back in jail, the judge warned him not to direct any more films.
The filmmaker pleaded guilty in March 2015 after being charged following the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones (pictured), who was hit by a freight train while filming scenes on a railway bridge for the Greg Allman biopic Midnight Rider
Miller, pictured with his wife, producer Jody Savin, in October 2013, was sentenced in 2015 to a year in prison followed by 10 years of probation
The filmmaker and his legal team claimed the terms of his parole were confusing because he believed he could direct films as long as someone else was on set safety supervision.
Miller told the court that he had money problems because of the court case and the terms of his probation.
The decision came more than a year after the state parole board asked the court to end Miller’s parole in September 2021, but the judge denied the agency’s request in January 2022, citing the “unique circumstances” of the case.
Miller’s attorney filed for an early termination of parole in March 2022, calling for a new judge. He said Harrison showed bias towards the director.
After the judge denied the request in April 2022 – on the grounds that he did not present new information – Miller’s attorney appealed in May 2022.
The appeals court said the Miller had 30 days to appeal, setting a new date for Jan. 7 without changing judges.
The appeals court said that “because Miller failed to appeal against him within 30 days of receipt of the contestable judgment, his appeal is late.”
Miller’s case has been in the headlines lately after Santa Fe prosecutors earlier this month charged Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with manslaughter in October 2021 in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the production of the film Rust.