Appeals court upholds Monroe County murder conviction

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Eastern District Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a murder conviction of a man found guilty of killing an 88-year-old woman.

Lyle Miller, 68, of Madison, Missouri, was found guilty by a jury on March 21, 2025, of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the December 2021 death of  Betty Hayes, 88. Miller was arrested in July 2023.

Court documents in previous reporting claim a witness told law enforcement that they saw Miller driving quickly away from Madison the night Hayes went missing. Her remains were eventually found in a pond.

Miller is currently being held at South Central Correctional Center in Licking.