Teen admits to killing Diane Miller outside Waterford Plaza, Perth
Teen, 17, admits to killing mother after throwing a block of concrete through her car window, leaving her and her unborn baby with horrific injuries they could never recover from
- Teenage boy from Perth pleaded guilty to manslaughter
- The name of the 17-year-old cannot be disclosed for legal reasons
A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to killing a pregnant mother after throwing a block of concrete through her car window.
The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, entered guilty plea at Perth Children’s Court on Wednesday for the murder of Diane Miller in a shopping center car park on November 29 last year.
Police officers said the teenager threw a lump of concrete through an open car window outside Waterford Plaza in Karawara, a Perth suburb, which hit Ms Miller in the head.
The boy, who was reportedly part of a gang called ‘the Bentley Boys’, confessed to the manslaughter of Ms Miller, who was five months pregnant at the time of her death.
She spent three days in hospital on a ventilator before she and her unborn baby died of her injuries.
Her killer was charged with grievous bodily harm after the incident, which was upgraded to murder when Mrs. Miller died.
Diane Miller spent three days on a ventilator in hospital before dying from her injuries
Under Western Australian law, the teenager could not be charged with the death of the unborn baby.
At a trial on Wednesday, the boy pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and the murder charge was dropped.
He will return to court from April 27 to be sentenced in two days.
Ms Miller was at Waterford Plaza in Karawara, a suburb of Perth, with her partner Phillip Edmonds, their infant son Lloyde and their two young nieces when the family’s life changed forever.
They had gone to the mall for dinner after swimming in a local pool.
Mr. Edmonds tried to protect his family from a dozen teenagers who were involved in a fight in the parking lot and blocked his car from leaving.
Ms. Miller was put on life support before she died in hospital
The 17-year-old threw a piece of concrete through the open passenger-side window, where Mrs. Miller was sitting.
Mr Edmonds had previously called for the teenager to be charged with two crimes because his unborn baby was too young to be saved.
“Because the baby was in her belly too, you know,” he said The Western Australian.
The unborn child would be named Mel if it were a girl.
The family had just moved into a new home and were preparing for the baby’s birth when Mrs. Miller was murdered.
“We made it into a real house and decorated it for the baby,” Mr Edmonds said.