Supreme, It's NOT
by Diane LaFlamme

So many of you were touched by the article, in our last issue, written by Jonathon Miller’s mother, Robin, describing the tragedy that occurred when her son, and another child, challenged each other to a fight. The other child died after one blow to the back of the head that ruptured an artery. Jon, who had just turned 15, was tried as an adult, found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison!

Last Spring, Jon’s conviction was appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court. On October 28th, we received news that it had denied each point in the appeal. The ruling was devastating to all of us, but especially hard on Jonathan and his family.

The next day, I was able to visit Jon in prison and pray with him. What an awesome thing it was to witness this young man praise and thank his God during one of his darkest hours.

We know that God has big plans for Jon. Many young men have been put through tremendous trials to prepare them for big missions. We believe this is true for Jonathan.

The October issue of Esquire magazine included an excellently written article by Tom Junod. He describes many of the issues surrounding this case. Esquire received an unusually heavy response to the article. Reprinted below is a the letter submitted by Alan Miller, Jonathan’s father.

To the Editor,
I need to thank you for the article “A Terrible Boy.” Tom Junod did a thorough job of investigative journalism. He then did a perfect job of communicating what he found. It did not have the sensationalism that the area press seemed to need in order to sell copies or attract ratings, but it is the truth. I only hope the Georgia Supreme Court reads your magazine, for they too referred to Jonathan as the "bully" regional press designed him to be. It is a delicate topic. A child is dead. No one in this life can undo that tragedy no matter how hard we prayed. Jonathan is not innocent, but this is not murder. We must not elevate our children to adulthood for the mere convenience of the courts. We can not allow the media to dictate this course of action to allow them the creativity of
sensationalism. As a juvenile, the media would have no story. The laws protect our juveniles. Finally, we must not allow our courts to be used as instruments of revenge. Thank you for communicating these messages.
Alan Miller

Another appeal has been filed with the Georgia Supreme Court. Please pray for Jonathan and his family as they await a decision. Thank God, it is not by the might of men, nor by their power, but by His Spirit that the battle is won. After all, only God is Supreme!

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