A Tulsa man has been convicted of child abuse and murder in what a prosecutor called “the most horrific and gruesome case I have seen.”
Miles
Testimony during a jury trial for John Lawrence Miles III, 34, revealed that he tortured his girlfriend’s children from 2020 to 2021, according to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office. A trial has not yet been scheduled for Camille Lewis, who is also charged in the death of her son due to the abuse he suffered at Miles’ hands.
“This is the most horrific and gruesome case I have seen in my career as a prosecutor,” Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney Amy Dickens said in a news release after the conviction. “The torture, abuse and neglect these children faced day after day is abhorrent. We can’t bring back Orlando Hugger Jr., but we hope this is one step closer into getting justice for the atrocities he faced.”
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According to a victim statement, in November 2020 Miles began locking the children in a closet and beating them daily. The 13-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy got access to a bathroom only twice a day and were forced to run for hours outside, in all temperatures.
“They were only fed scalding hot beans and rice, and were given a limited amount of time to eat it,” prosecutors said. “This abuse and neglect culminated in Hugger Jr.’s death.”
By the time the malnourished 13-year-old girl was taken to live with her grandmother in September 2021, Orlando had been dead at least six months. The grandmother went to the police, and the girl told investigators about the abuse, including that Miles offered her food in exchange for sex acts.
The victim said she was told that her brother died after having a seizure, but “they did not take him to the hospital because they did not want to be in trouble.”
Orlando’s remains were buried in a field and later were exhumed and burned in an attempt to destroy evidence, prompting jurors to find Miles guilty of desecration of a human corpse, according to the press release.
“I’m sorry the jury had to see and hear the evidence presented during this trial,” Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney John Tjeerdsma said in a statement. “This crime came from a place of pure evil. We thank the jury and law enforcement detectives for ensuring John Miles was held accountable for his crimes.”
Lewis
After finding Miles guilty of nine felony charges, including first-degree murder and child sexual abuse, the jury recommended that he serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. A formal sentencing is set for Dec. 19 in Tulsa County District Court.
Lewis faces trial on two counts of child abuse, three counts of child neglect, second-degree murder and desecration of a corpse. She pleaded not guilty in December.
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