Inset: Cameion Brown (Gary Police Dept.). Background: The Indiana street where Brown allegedly killed a 71-year-old man (Google Maps).
A 19-year-old Indiana man is accused of fatally beating a 71-year-old man inside his home, binding the victim and leaving him to die — and after his arrest, allegedly telling police: “I”m done like fried chicken.”
Cameion Brown was taken into custody and charged with one count each of murder and auto theft in the slaying of Darryl Miller, court records show.
Officers with the Gary Police Department responded Sunday to a call requesting a welfare check on Miller’s home in the 2200 block of Rhode Island Street, according to a news release. Police responded to the home for a welfare check after friends reported they had not seen or heard from Miller for several days, local CW affiliate WGN reported. The friends entered the residence and found a body wrapped in blankets, then alerted authorities.
Officers took Brown into custody later that day in Porter County after a brief pursuit, and investigators said the case remains ongoing.
An officer went inside and discovered Miller’s body on the bedroom floor, wrapped in blankets with duct tape around his feet, according to court documents cited by the station. Investigators also found a bedroom in disarray with a flipped mattress, indicating a struggle.
Miller’s vehicle, a Honda Accord, was missing from the home, and a witness told police the victim often allowed people without housing to stay with him, according to WGN. That witness identified Brown as someone who had been staying at the residence and said he saw him there shortly before the body was discovered.
Officers later located the stolen vehicle on Interstate 80/94 in Porter County, where Brown was driving, according to the Chicago Tribune. Brown fled from a traffic stop before police used a PIT maneuver to bring the vehicle to a halt and take him into custody.
During questioning, Brown told investigators he ran because he was driving a stolen car and admitted he had been staying with Miller, whom he referred to as “Pops,” according to court documents cited by the Tribune and WGN.
Brown claimed the violence began after Miller “started to touch him inappropriately,” leading to a physical fight in which he knocked the older man to the ground and punched and kicked him, according to the affidavit. When Miller spoke to him during the assault, Brown allegedly responded, “Really.”
Investigators said Miller suffered extensive injuries, including blunt force trauma to the head and torso, along with defensive wounds such as a broken jaw, fractured ribs, a punctured lung, and dislocated fingers. The Lake County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide.
Brown told police Miller was “still breathing” when he wrapped him in blankets and bound him, though he later changed his account and said Miller was already dead, according to court records.
“I am done like fried chicken,” Brown said during the interview when asked why he fled from officers, according to the affidavit.
Witnesses told police they last saw Miller with Brown days earlier, including at church, and grew suspicious after receiving messages from Brown claiming Miller was “sick” and “quiet for a while,” the Tribune reported. Another witness reported seeing someone matching Brown’s description leaving the home around the time investigators believe the killing occurred.
Court records show Brown has multiple pending criminal cases, including charges related to battery against a public safety official, theft, and resisting law enforcement.
He remains in custody following his arrest, and his initial hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
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