Patrolman Leonard Clifford Miller

Leonard Clifford Miller

Patrolman Leonard Miller was shot and killed after stopping a car that had sped past him twice. He was shot twice in the chest as he approached the vehicle. The two suspects, both 21, were apprehended. It was soon determined the two had been on what was labeled a "kill for thrill" spree for the past eight days. The bullet riddled bodies of a 26-year-old single mother and two men, 32 and 49, had be found in different locations in and near Apollo Borough. A few days earlier, as they aimed to shoot a 35-year-old female employee in a convenient store, the attempt was foiled by two men who entered the store.

Both were convicted of four counts of murder and sentenced to death. Both had their convictions overturned in 1991 and 1996. Both were retried and again sentenced to death. Their appeals for new trials were denied in 2011 and 2012. One of the subjects died in prison on September 3, 2017. In 2021 the other was still on death row. He is Pennsylvania's longest serving death row inmate.

Patrolman Miller's murder occurred on his third day as a full time officer with the Apollo Police Department. He had previously served as a part-time officer for the Apollo Police Department and Vandergrift Police Departments for 2.5 years. He is buried in the Riverview Cemetery, Apollo, Pennsylvania. He was survived by his parents.

In 2005 the Apollo Bridge was renamed the Leonard C. Miller Bridge.