A well-known New Orleans street performer charged last year in the 1974 shooting death of a Jacksonville grocer is set to go free.
Johnie Lewis Miller recently admitted to killing 34-year-old Freddie Farah during a hold-up at the Grand Park Food Store off Kings Road but will not serve any more jail time after the state’s case against him fell apart when a key witness unexpectedly died. Miller, known as “Uncle Louie,” has been in jail 344 days. His admission of guilt to the Farah family and to the state was part of the plea arrangement. Miller, 61, was represented by Jacksonville attorneys Ann Finnell and Gonzalo Andux.
He pleaded guilty this afternoon to second-degree murder in exchange for time served. He should be processed out of jail later today and also must pay $521 fine. Circuit Judge Angela Cox told him it took courage to tell the truth.
Until his arrest in May, Miller had spent the past two decades dazzling crowds in the French Quarter with his frozen-in-mid-stride patriotic shtick. He grew up in Jacksonville. Within hours of his arrest, some $1,600 had been raised for his defense. Over the following few weeks there were at least two fundraising events for him in New Orleans.
At the time, Bobby Farah, who was 6 when his father was killed, had this to say: “You do the crime, you do the time. I want him to pay for what he did.”
Watch the Victim Impact Statement Video below, which was shown in court to show how Farah's death affected his family:
