A Rowlett man has been sentenced to life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) by a Rockwall County Judge.
On Thursday, January 5, 2023, 439th Judicial District Judge David Rakow sentenced Mark Miller to prison after Miller pled guilty to two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. Miller received the maximum punishment for those crimes.
Thirty-five-year-old Miller was arrested on January 12, 2020, after the child’s mother called 911 to report that Miller, a family friend, was caught sexually abusing her nine-year-old child in the child’s bedroom. The child’s father held Miller at gunpoint as Rockwall County deputies rushed to the residence.
Further investigation by the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office, led by lead Detective Sgt. John Ostrowski, led to an overwhelming amount of digital and biological evidence that Miller had repeatedly sexually abused the child since she was 7 years old.
Rockwall Police Department Detective Philip Young completed a forensic analysis on Miller’s computers and cell phone and discovered child pornography, including videos that Miller had filmed of himself graphically abusing the child. Law enforcement additionally discovered that Miller’s computer screen saver was a nude photo of the child and that Miller had created videos of the child to play on his virtual reality headset.
In September 2022, Miller received a 60-year federal prison sentence for producing child pornography. That sentence will be served concurrently with his state life sentence at TDCJ.
“Mark Miller used his undeserved trust to torture this little girl,” said Rockwall County Assistant District Attorney Justin Almand. “Our thanks to the many law enforcement, CPS, children’s advocacy, and medical professionals whose efforts put this predator in prison.”
“This is a disturbing case on so many levels,” said Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper. “It unfortunately underscores that no community is immune from sexual predators. We should all remain vigilant to keep children safe from such evil.”
