By Karen Middleton
An Arab woman is in Limestone County Jail charged with the shooting death of a north Athens man, according to Athens Police Public Information Officer Lt. Floyd Johnson.
“Last night [Tuesday at 11:35 p.m.] we arrested Lisa Mechelle Pate for the murder of James Miller,” said Johnson in a press release. “Pate is 40 years old and lives at 323 Apollo Road in Arab, Alabama. Pate was arrested without incident in Arab.
“Our investigation revealed there had been a relationship between Mr. Miller and Pate. Pate traveled to Athens and apparently after an argument she shot Mr. Miller. Our agency was assisted in this case by the Limestone County District Attorneys office and Arab Police Department.”
Athens Police were called to 18508 North Jefferson St. at 1:41 p.m. Tuesday, according to Police Chief Wayne Harper, and found Miller dead of a gunshot wound on the floor of a kitchen dining area near the back door.
At about 6 p.m. Tuesday Johnson confirmed that police had ruled the shooting a homicide and said Miller’s body had been sent to state forensic lab for an autopsy.
Miller’s wife, Donna, and daughter, Jessie Miller, were expected in late Wednesday or early today from a mission trip to Guatemala.
Johnson described the relationship between Miller and Pate as “long term.”
“The best we can tell is that he (Miller) was breaking up with her (Pate),” said Johnson.
Johnson said police were alerted to Miller’s possible death by a family member.
“He had a large extended family and talked with several family members on a regular basis,” said Johnson. “An uncle, who lives out of state, hadn’t heard from him and had a nephew go over and check on him.”
Johnson said the back door to the Miller home was locked, but the nephew sent to check on Miller could see his body through the back door glass and called police.
Johnson said that Limestone County Coroner Mike West estimated after he performed a preliminary examination of the body that Miller had been dead “at least 24 hours” before his body was discovered.
Johnson said he was told by the victim’s family that he was retired from the Marine Corps and had recently returned from Afghanistan, where he worked as a civilian for the Army Corps of Engineers.
Johnson said that Pate, at first, denied shooting Miller, but then confessed after about three hours of questioning. He said that investigators developed Pate as a suspect after talking with members of Miller’s family and co-workers.
