Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
BEAVER — A Minersville woman and her lover were sentenced to prison Monday for conspiring to kill the woman's husband, who owned the home they were all living in.
Shane Michael Davis, 38, was shot and killed in his home on Sept. 27, 2021. Davis' brother, Glad Vigil, said he was "a gentle soul" who cared about everyone around him.
"This was, by far, the worst grief I've ever felt," he said.
Vigil said he misses his brother's support, his hugs, his "goofy smile" and short chats when he would drop by.
He and other family and friends encouraged the judge to recommend to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole that the wife and her boyfriend spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Fifth District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen sentenced Victoria Elyse Woerth, 30, to a term of three years to life in prison for criminal solicitation, a first-degree felony, but said she "does not believe that three years is adequate."
The judge sentenced Mike Allen Miller, 27, to consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, a second-degree felony, and a term of two to 20 years in prison for murder, a first-degree felony, and five years to life in prison for felony discharge of a firearm, a first-degree felony.
McIff Allen, in back-to-back sentencing hearings for both Miller and Woerth, said she would recommend that the board of pardons not consider parole until they have served at least 15 years, the statutory sentence for murder, and maybe longer for Miller because he was the shooter.
"The court views (Miller's) case as no less serious than a murder case," she said, although she followed the plea agreement's recommendation that the murder charge be sentenced as an enhanced manslaughter charge.
'Recipe for disaster'
Beaver County Attorney Von Christiansen said Davis had purchased a home in Minersville that was "a trophy," symbolizing the progress he had made.
Christiansen said Woerth married Davis on March 17, 2021, and her husband was adamant about not sharing ownership of the home because Davis did not want to lose it in a divorce. He said the bigger issue in the marriage was that Woerth "insisted" on an open marriage, continuing her relationship with Miller, who lived in Davis' home along with between seven and nine others.
"That's a recipe for disaster, and that's exactly where this situation led," he said.
Christiansen explained that Davis made plans to kick the others out of his home, and called his friend to come and help. But when Davis got home, he was met by Miller who fired a gun at him.
The prosecutor said Woerth had called the people in the house "to arms."
"It's very clear that they're ready for an armed conflict, and in her words, she's 'ready to shoot,'" he said.
He read a Snapchat conversation between Woerth and Miller where she said, "Some days I just wish (Davis) would get in an accident and die or something," and Miller responded, "It could be done." Christiansen said a normal person would have stopped the conversation and said no, but Woerth asked Miller to explain.
"It was very, very clear, crystal clear, in that series of Snapchat messages she wanted Shane Davis dead," Christiansen said.
He said her actions show that her motivation was not to get together with Miller, but was to get the home.
Right after the shooting, Woerth told police she wasn't in the room, but after Miller was found the next day she told them Davis was attacking her and Miller was trying to save her.
Comments at the hearings
The friend Davis called to help him evict the people in his home right before he was shot and killed, Shawn Coville, spoke at the sentencing and referred to Davis as his brother. He said it haunts him that he was five minutes too late when his friend was killed. He said Davis' biggest goal was to be someone his children could be proud of, and the house was a sign he was moving toward that.
"Everything he built was demolished in one night by two stupid people," he said.
John Catledge, another friend, said Woerth and Miller sentenced them to a life sentence of not being with Davis.
"My wish, my hope ... is that these evil things spend the rest of their lives in prison and they get just a small taste of what they have given us," Catledge said.
Woerth did not say anything at her sentencing. Her attorney, Douglas Terry, emphasized that she pleaded guilty to criminal solicitation, not murder, and said she planted a seed and may have cultivated it — but Miller is the one who took Davis' life.
Miller spoke before he was sentenced and said he loved Davis too, although he knows he doesn't have the right to feel the pain others expressed. He said Davis took him in and gave him a home and food. Miller said he wishes he could go back to that night and change the wrong choice he made.
"Two years, two years for me has been a lifetime. A lifetime to think, a lifetime to regret. I want to say, whether I'm believed or not, how horribly sorry I am for the life that I have taken," Miller said.
He said Davis believed in reincarnation and he hopes that he can find Davis in their next lives to apologize and ask for forgiveness.
Miller's attorney, Jeanne Campbell, said he was "completely indoctrinated" by Woerth, who led him to believe she was in danger.
The judge, however, said Miller is "entirely responsible" for his decisions.
