Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that a 20-year-old male from North Tonawanda was arraigned this afternoon before Youth Part Judge Brenda Freedman on an indictment charging him with one count of Murder in the Second Degree (Class A-I felony) and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (Class C violent felony).
It is alleged that on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at approximately 1:00 p.m., the adolescent offender intentionally shot the victim with an illegal gun on the 100 block of Laird Avenue in the City of Buffalo. The victim, 19-year-old Donovan M. Miller, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accused was 16-years-old at the time of the homicide. Our office will not be releasing the name of the adolescent offender while the matter is pending prosecution in the Youth Part of Superior Court.
The adolescent offender is scheduled to return on Friday, September 26, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. for a pre-trial conference. He was held without bail. If convicted of the highest charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
DA Keane commends Detective Judy Walker of the Buffalo Police Department Homicide Unit for her work in this investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Chief Eugene T. Partridge, III, of the Homicide Bureau.
As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.