Fate of the Zombie Hunter in hands of judge

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- A Maricopa County Superior Court judge is weighing the fate of the serial killer who referred to himself as the Zombie Hunter. Bryan Patrick Miller was found guilty in April of the murders of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas.

Brosso was killed in 1992, the night before her 22nd birthday. Bernas was killed the following year. She was 17 years old. Both women’s bodies were sliced with a knife, showing signs of sexual assault. It took detectives more than 20 years to link the murders to Miller. It was another eight years before the guilty verdict.

On Thursday morning, prosecutor Vince Imbordino urged Judge Suzanne Cohen to sentence Miller to death. “The brutality of what he did, the impact this had on the family of these young women, what he stole from these young women deserves execution. And this will sound harsh. Angela and Melanie didn’t get to choose when they died. They didn’t get to choose the day, the hour, the moment. This defendant deserves to know the day, the hour of his death,” said Imbordino.

Defense attorney RJ Parker urged Judge Cohen to have mercy on Miller. He argued that forces beyond Miller’s control when he was a child made it so he would never have a normal adulthood. Parker introduced testimony during the trial that indicated Miller was physically and mentally abused by his mother and suffered from autism and mental illness.

“I started by saying Bryan’s life is in your hands. No truer words can be spoken at this moment. Please give meaning to the humanity in everything you have learned about Bryan,” said Parker. “His life still has value beyond measure. We ask that you impose a verdict of life in prison.”

Judge Cohen stated that her goal was to announce the sentence on June 7.

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