Amish Mother Ruth Miller Pleads Insanity, Held Without Bail

Lead: Ruth A. Miller, 40, of Millersburg, Ohio, entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity Monday during her arraignment on charges of aggravated murder, domestic violence and child endangerment in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court.

Nut Graf: Miller faces a seven-count indictment stemming from the August 23 deaths of her four-year-old son and husband at Atwood Lake and a golf-cart incident endangering her three teenage children. Prosecutors argued public safety demands she remain jailed; her defense asserts severe mental illness drove the tragedy.

Arraignment Highlights

  • Court Appearance: Judge Michael J. Ernest presided over Monday’s arraignment, formally reading the indictment’s seven counts, including aggravated murder of a child.
  • Plea Entered: Miller pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, admitting the acts but attributing them to a “serious mental disease” that impaired her judgment.
  • Bail Denial: At the state’s request, Judge Ernest ordered Miller held without bail pending an evidentiary hearing, citing the charges’ severity and potential risk to remaining victims.
  • No-Contact Order: A no-contact restriction was imposed between Miller and her surviving teenage children until further court order.

Attorney and Prosecutor Remarks

Prosecutor’s Position: Ryan Styer, Tuscarawas County Prosecutor, urged continued detention without bond to protect public safety and ensure the integrity of ongoing proceedings.

Defense Argument: Attorney Ian N. Friedman told reporters Miller “did not appreciate the wrongfulness of her conduct” due to a mental defect and emphasized that a successful insanity defense would result in secure psychiatric treatment rather than release. He confirmed a bail hearing is set for September 25 at 1:00 PM, during which both sides will present evidence, including testimony from family members, law enforcement and mental-health experts.

Case Background

On August 23, deputies responded to Atwood Lake after witnesses saw Miller drive a golf cart into the water with her teenage children. Earlier that morning, authorities allege Miller deliberately drowned her son, Vincen Miller, age four, in what she described as an “offering to God” and her husband died attempting a faith-based swim to a sandbar.

What’s Next

An evidentiary hearing on September 25 will determine whether Miller remains jailed without bail and will address her mental competency and the impending insanity defense. If convicted of aggravated murder, Miller faces life imprisonment with or without parole eligibility after 20 years.