Midnight Rider director, Randall Miller Sentenced to 10 Years
The involuntary manslaughter guilty plea made today by Midnight Rider director Randall Miller in the on-set death of 27-year-old camera assistant shows how the justice system is holding filmmakers more accountable for accidents.
According to Deadline, Miller will be the first filmmaker to go to prison for a film-related death.
In fact, in the 100 years between the death of Jones and the first production-related death — in 1914, when 16-year-old actress Grace McHugh drowned and cameraman Owen Carter died trying to rescue her while filming a scene for the movieAcross The Border – more than 80 people have died in 52 fatal accidents while filming in the U.S. Two cases resulted in indictments, but none of those were convicted. The Midnight Rider case has changed that.[Deadline]
According to reports, Miller’s lawyer Ed Garland believes his client will only serve a year of the two-year sentence he received.
Executive producer Jay Sedrish was sentenced to 10 years probation after also entering a guilty plea. Charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass were dropped against producer Jody Savin, Miller’s wife.
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