Tonia Miller
Wrongfully convicted: April 14, 2003
Exonerated: August 30, 2021
Calhoun County
Tonia Miller was convicted in 2003 of second-degree murder for the death of her 11-week-old daughter. The conviction was based on testimony from doctors indicating that the child’s death had been due to “shaken baby syndrome”/ “abusive head trauma.” The SBS/AHT theory has resulted in many innocent parents and caregivers being charged with crimes they did not commit.
The Innocence Clinic took on Miller’s case in 2014 and through independent experts was able to demonstrate to the courts that Miller was innocent and had been wrongfully convicted. Leading medical experts testified at a 2020 evidentiary hearing that the child in this case actually died from a severe case of pneumonia, which caused hypoxia (lack of oxygen) in the brain.
A judge vacated Miller’s conviction in early 2021, and she was fully exonerated when the prosecution dropped charges on August 30, 2021.
More details available at:
- The National Registry of Exonerations: Tonia Miller
- The Battle Creek Enquirer: Judge could order new trial in BC murder case
- The Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek woman wins new trial in 20-year-old baby death