Edmonton man pleads guilty to 2014 death of man found frozen in Calgary parking lot

An Edmonton man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2014 death of a man found frozen in northeast Calgary.

Police discovered the body of 41-year-old Douglas Miller at a parking lot in the Marlborough Park area at about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014.

It took investigators more than three years to declare Miller’s death a homicide.

Police charged Joshua Michael Anthony Mills with second-degree murder in April of last year. On Friday, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Miller and Mills had known each other for about two years. Both men were also known to Trevor Stewart, who eventually died of a drug overdose in February 2017.

On the night of Nov. 28, 2014, Miller and Mills were due to meet so Miller could buy cocaine from Stewart. Miller left his home on foot with $140 in cash and his cellphone. The three men met on Madigan Drive N.E. and walked to an empty, unlit parking lot that had berms around it, meaning it couldn’t be seen from Madigan Drive.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

According to the agreed statement of facts, by the time the three men met, the purpose of the meeting had changed from completing a drug deal to robbing Miller.

When he was arrested in April 2018, Mills told police that he was there to act as protection for Stewart.

When they stopped in the parking lot, Miller took off his gloves and put them in his pocket, at which point Stewart hit him in the head with a metal wrench-like object, the agreed statement of facts reads.

Mills then picked Miller up, dropped him on his neck and began to beat him while he was on the ground, according to the agreed statement of facts.

Stewart stole Miller’s money and cellphone before both men ran from the parking lot, leaving Miller unconscious in the snow and elements. Mills didn’t try to get help for Miller at any time during the night, the agreed statement of facts reads. Miller was found the next day.

An autopsy concluded Miller died as a result of multiple blunt-force injuries to the head and neck. The medical examiner also found he had a torn artery, multiple bruises on his head, face, jaw, neck, back and upper and lower extremities.

No cocaine was found in Miller’s system.

“The acts of Joshua Mills put the victim at risk of, or caused, life-threatening injuries,” the agreed statement of facts reads.

Mills was remanded into custody. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 28 for sentencing.