28th Judicial District Court Judge J. Christopher Peters sentenced Brenton A. Miller, 34, of Terrebonne Parish, to life in prison today in court for the October 2021 murder of Caden Madden, a 29-year-old man who had recently moved to Trout prior to his murder.

In making his sentencing statement, Judge Peters said Miller’s actions during and after the murder were “not the actions of a man but the actions of a coward.”

He also noted the murder was no “accident” and quoted testimony from his trial back in September 2023 where a witness heard Miller say, “Mr. Madden has breathed his last breath.”

Miller was found guilty of second-degree murder during last fall’s trial but his sentencing was delayed after Miller filed a motion claiming insanity. Two doctors later examined Miller and found him not to be insane, but rather competent during the murder and afterwards, based on his actions.

During Tuesday morning’s court session, Judge Peters sentenced Miller to serve at hard labor in the custody of the Department of Corrections for the “rest of your natural life” without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

Miller’s attorney, Eric Talley, filed a motion to appeal the sentence following Judge Peter’s sentence announcement.

(More in next week’s edition of The Jena Times.)