Washington Mother Receives 32-Year Sentence in Horrific Child Abuse Death Case
In a deeply disturbing case that has shocked the nation, a Washington mother has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for the starvation, torture, and ultimate death of her eight-year-old adopted daughter. The child's body was later transported more than 1,000 miles in a rented U-Haul trailer, adding another layer of horror to an already tragic situation.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing Details
Mandie Miller, 36, was sentenced by Spokane County Judge Rachelle Anderson after pleading guilty to multiple charges including homicide by abuse, second-degree child assault, and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. The victim was Meela Miller, her biological niece whom she had legally adopted. Prosecutors had recommended a 30-year sentence, but Judge Anderson imposed the upper end of the standard range at 32 years, stating, "We're here because a little girl was tortured, she was starved, her interests were not protected."
The Gruesome Discovery and Investigation
The case came to light in December 2022 when Miller and her boyfriend, Aleksander Kurmoyarov, 31, drove from Washington State to Mitchell, South Dakota, with a coffin in their possession. Funeral home staff became suspicious when the couple arrived seeking burial arrangements but failed to produce proper documentation. Authorities were alerted and soon discovered the child's body inside a U-Haul trailer.
Investigators determined that Meela had actually died months earlier, in September 2022, after enduring prolonged abuse inside the couple's Airway Heights home. Prosecutors revealed that the child had been systematically starved and restrained for hours at a time. By the time officers recovered her body, she weighed a mere 26 pounds—a shocking weight for an eight-year-old child.
Disturbing Evidence and Court Testimony
Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Emily Sullivan presented compelling evidence to the court, including home surveillance footage that captured the child being tied to a car seat with zip ties. "The facts before this court are undisputed. They did assault her, they did starve her, they did restrain her, they did torture her, and they did kill her," Sullivan stated during the proceedings.
Perhaps most chilling was the revelation that the couple allegedly kept Meela's body in their home for nearly three months after her death, claiming they "wanted to spend more time with her." This macabre detail added to the prosecution's characterization of this as one of the most harrowing child abuse cases in the region's recent memory.
Family Impact and Co-Defendant Status
During the emotional sentencing hearing, Meela's biological mother, Andrea Miller—who is also Mandie's sister—condemned the abuse but extended forgiveness to her sibling. "You did this with no remorse, murdering my third child, my beautiful daughter," she told the court.
Miller briefly addressed the court herself, referencing her troubled childhood in foster care and admitting that her daughter "did not deserve any abuse or neglect." Meanwhile, Kurmoyarov has also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, assault, and unlawful imprisonment charges and is scheduled to be sentenced separately in the coming weeks.
Broader Implications and Community Response
The case has sparked widespread outrage and renewed discussions about child protection systems and adoption safeguards. Prosecutors emphasized that the systematic nature of the abuse—involving starvation, physical restraint, and psychological torment—made this case particularly egregious even among child abuse prosecutions.
As the legal proceedings continue for Kurmoyarov, the community and child advocacy groups are calling for increased vigilance and support systems to prevent similar tragedies. The 32-year sentence represents a significant judicial response to what authorities have described as an almost unimaginable betrayal of parental responsibility and basic human decency.
