Police say the suspect fled in Darryl Miller’s car before officers stopped him on Interstate 94.
GARY, Ind. — A stolen Honda Accord helped police connect a Gary homicide scene to a Porter County pursuit that ended with the arrest of 19-year-old Cameion Askia Brown, according to court records.
The case against Brown began inside Darryl Miller’s home but moved quickly to the road. Miller, 71, was found dead April 12 in a bedroom of his house in the 2200 block of Rhode Island Street. Police said his feet were bound with duct tape and his body was wrapped in blankets and sheets. When investigators learned Miller’s Honda Accord was missing, that vehicle became a key lead. Officers later found Brown driving it in Porter County, where police say he fled a traffic stop before being forced to a stop on Interstate 94.
The vehicle search mattered because the scene inside Miller’s home already pointed to violence. Officers had been sent there for a welfare check after friends from Miller’s church went to the house, became concerned and reported seeing what appeared to be a body. Police entered and found Miller on the bedroom floor. The room was disturbed, and a mattress had been flipped over, according to court records. Investigators said the condition of the room suggested a struggle. The Lake County Coroner’s Office later ruled Miller’s death a homicide after an autopsy found multiple blunt force injuries to his head and torso.
Police said the Accord surfaced later the same day in Porter County. A Westville police officer tried to stop the car, but Brown fled, according to investigators. The pursuit continued onto Interstate 94 near the 26-mile marker. A Town of Porter police officer used a PIT maneuver, a controlled tactic meant to stop a fleeing vehicle by turning it sideways. Brown was taken into custody after the maneuver ended the chase. During questioning, Brown allegedly told detectives he ran because he knew he was driving a stolen car and said, “I am done like fried chicken.”
Investigators then worked backward from the car to the house. Witnesses told police that Brown had been staying with Miller and that Miller often allowed people without housing to stay at the residence. Brown also told detectives he had been in the home and referred to Miller as “Pops,” according to the affidavit. Witnesses said they had seen Miller and Brown together days earlier, including at church. After Miller could not be reached, witnesses said messages from Brown claimed Miller was “sick” and “quiet for a while.” Police said another witness reported seeing someone matching Brown’s description leave the home around the time of the suspected killing.
Brown gave detectives an account of a violent confrontation, according to court records. He claimed Miller “started to touch him inappropriately,” and said a physical fight followed. Investigators said Brown described knocking Miller down, then punching and kicking him. When Miller tried to speak during the assault, Brown allegedly responded, “Really.” Police said Brown first stated Miller was still breathing when he wrapped him in blankets and bound him, then later said Miller already was dead at that point. Authorities said Brown ultimately admitted causing Miller’s death. The public records do not include any statement from Miller, who was found dead before officers arrived.
The autopsy findings were severe. Investigators said Miller suffered blunt force trauma to the head and torso, a broken jaw, fractured ribs, a punctured lung and dislocated fingers. They also described injuries consistent with defensive wounds, suggesting Miller may have tried to protect himself during the attack. Police said Brown’s shoes were consistent with impressions believed to have been left at the scene. Authorities have not publicly released the complete forensic record, including whether testing from the car, bedding, duct tape or clothing has been completed. The case remains active, and more evidence may be addressed through court filings.
Prosecutors filed formal charges April 14 after Detective James Nielsen worked with the Lake County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force. Brown is charged with one count of murder and one count of auto theft. The murder charge carries a possible prison term of up to 65 years if Brown is convicted. The auto theft count focuses on the Accord that police say belonged to Miller and was found with Brown behind the wheel. Brown also had pending cases involving battery against a public safety official, theft and resisting law enforcement at the time of his arrest, according to court records.
The pursuit brought multiple agencies into a case that began with a call to Gary police. Authorities listed help from Indiana State Police, Indiana State Excise Police, East Chicago police, the Gary Police Department, the Lake County Coroner’s Office, the Lake County CSI Division and Town of Porter police. Officials said the killing appeared to be isolated and that there was no ongoing public threat. Still, the case moved across jurisdictions in a matter of hours, from a home where friends expected to check on Miller to a highway where officers stopped the car police say had been taken from him.
The next phase will take place in court, where prosecutors will have to prove the homicide and auto theft charges and the defense can challenge the state’s evidence. Key issues may include Brown’s alleged statements, the witness timeline, the forensic evidence from Miller’s home and the recovery of the Honda. Court proceedings will also determine how Brown’s separate pending cases are handled while the murder case advances. No trial date has been publicly detailed in the available records.
The investigation’s path from Gary to Porter County is now part of the prosecution record. Future hearings are expected to sort the highway arrest, the auto theft count and the homicide evidence into the schedule that will carry the case forward.
Author note: Last updated May 7, 2026.