SHELBYVILLE — A Decatur man received the maximum sentence, 24 years in prison, for his role in concealing the homicidal death of a 72-year-old Clarksburg woman.
Thomas M. Miller, 21, also was sentenced Thursday in Shelby County Circuit Court to an additional three years in prison for an aggravated battery he committed last month while in custody and awaiting sentencing at the Shelby County jail.
According to a news release from the Shelby County State's Attorney's Office, Sherry Hubbartt had been reported missing April 17, 2021, by her family, who suspected her grandson, Clayton Anderson, 26, of being involved in her disappearance.
After initiating an investigation, law enforcement found that Hubbartt’s debit card had been used in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Utah after her disappearance.
The same day Hubbartt was reported missing, Miller and Anderson were involved in a high-speed chase through Las Vegas after reports of occupants in a vehicle (later identified as Hubbartt’s) shooting at other vehicles on the roadway. The chase resulted in a crash on the interstate, and Miller and Anderson were taken into custody.
Miller confessed to Las Vegas Metro Police detectives that he was present at the time of Hubbartt’s murder. He said an argument began between Anderson and Hubbarrt, and Anderson pushed Hubbartt to the ground and strangled her to death.
Miller said he helped Anderson hide Hubbartt’s body in a closet of her Clarksburg home and cover the body with pillows and blankets. The two then fled with Hubbartt's debit card and vehicle.
One of Hubbartt's family members read a victim impact statement at Miller’s sentencing, describing the pain and suffering endured by the family as a result of her death.
Miller was allowed to speak to the family and stated he was “deeply sorry for the pain (he) caused."
Anderson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in May 2021 and was sentenced in October to life in prison with no chance of parole.
