John J. Anderson, charged with murder in the strangulation of Natasha Miller, 19, whose nude body was found floating in the Huron River in April, wants his hours-long taped confession thrown out.

And what a strange confession it was.

In the days after Miller’s body was found in the Proud Lake State Recreation Area, Anderson, 24, was questioned for more than 10 hours over two days.

At first, the Wixom resident insisted he had nothing to do with her death. Eventually, he admitted the killing, saying it was an accident, police said.

Then for hours he talked about religion, origins of the universe, the Torah, the Quran, the Bible, and his life as a druid — part of an ancient pagan Celtic religion. He placed Miller’s body in the river, he said, for religious reasons, to reunite her with the spirit of water.

In a hearing that began Tuesday, defense attorney Jerome Sabbota sought to have the confession thrown out, saying it had been coerced. Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton said Anderson gave the statement willingly.

The hearing is to resume Tuesday before Oakland County Circuit Judge Nanci Grant. She is expected to make a quick decision.

Anderson’s confession, taped at the Highland Township substation of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, is critical to the prosecutor’s case, because there are no eyewitnesses. He is to stand trial before Grant on May 7. He faces life in prison without parole if convicted.

Police and prosecutors say Anderson killed Miller when she spurned his advances, then he threw her body in the river, where it was discovered by hikers.

During his confession, court records show, he attempted to paint himself as a scholar of the universe and told investigators he had studied religion since age 5. Miller, he insisted, was a Wiccan — a paganist — who practiced witchcraft.

Oakland County Sheriff’s Detective Christopher Miller said Tuesday outside the courtroom that there is no indication Miller was involved in witchcraft. Miller said Anderson’s contention that he placed the body in the water as part of a druid ritual was unlikely.

“This is a guy who has a very rich fantasy life,” Miller said. “He needed the druid thing as an excuse for what he did. He’s a very troubled individual.”

Source

• BrasierR, L.L. Defense wants confession tossed. (2007, March 7). Detroit Free Press, MI. Retrieved March 8, 2007.

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