CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) — An Ohio man convicted of murdering his fiancee more than 20 years ago could be released from prison.
Don Mills is up for parole in July, but the family of the 19-year-old victim is writing letters to the board to stop his release.
Mills maintained his innocence for years, but recently admitted to the crime. He wrote a letter saying he lost his temper and killed his fiancee, Kristy Harris, following an argument.
“The remorse, which I understand the parole board takes the remorse into consideration. But where was it? Where was it at the time this happened? Where was it all the way through that trial? Where was it for the first 10-15 years when he was sitting in prison?” asked Prosecutor Daniel Breyer who convicted Mills in 1996.
Kristy Harris was killed in 1994 in Clermont County. Her body was found in the backyard of the home where she and Mills lived. A coroner’s report said she was gasping for air while her face was being held down on the ground. Investigators said they found a blade of grass in her throat from gasping for air. They said she also choked on her own vomit.
Harris’s family says the only justice for her killer is life in prison.
“How is this fair to someone to have to relive this … I mean, 20 years? I’m seeing her be buried, I’m seeing her…I’m seeing them take her back up…I mean, I’m seeing this, I have to relive it again,” said Patty Brannum, Kristy’s mother.
Harris was planning on leaving Mills the night she was murdered.
