Deadly shooting
OAKLAND TWP — Police are seeking a 19-year-old Butler man wanted in the apparent shooting death of a 23-year-old neighbor.
Authorities expected to file a complaint overnight seeking an arrest warrant for Alec D. Miller on a general charge of homicide. Police were still searching for Miller as of Wednesday evening.
Investigators believe Miller shot Maximillian W. Halterman at the older man's log cabin-style rental home on Davis Road in Oakland Township.
“We have reason to believe it's a dual motive: drugs and disrespect toward one another,” said prosecutor Ben Simon, a Butler County assistant district attorney.
The shooting happened between 7 and 8 p.m. Tuesday. But police did not learn of it until 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, following a 911 call.
Butler County Coroner William Young III pronounced Halterman dead about 11:15 a.m. Investigators later determined that he had been shot the previous night.
An autopsy was performed Wednesday evening. The findings were not immediately available as of press time.
A preliminary examination suggested that Halterman was shot twice in the same area. Both rounds entered and exited his right shoulder and hit him in the neck.
The body was on the couch in the part of the home that appeared to be the living room, authorities said. There was no other immediate sign of trauma, other than the gunshot wounds in the shoulder area toward the neck.
“The house appeared to have been rummaged through in places where drugs are known to be hidden,” Simon said. He would not elaborate.
Police said Miller, who lives with his grandparents three houses up the road from the victim's home, made off in his grandfather's pickup truck after the shooting.
Investigators noted Miller is already on supervision with the county's probation office.
Authorities said he was released from the Butler County Prison in December 2018, after serving time for two criminal cases stemming from 2017. Both cases involved charges of theft and simple assault. He was sentenced to 11½ and 23 months with credit for 366 days served.
Court records revealed that Halterman, too, had a criminal history that included convictions for felony drug possession in 2015 and for misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in 2017 and 2018.
By early afternoon, police obtained two search warrants — one for the home, property and any available surveillance video, and another for a cell phone.
Investigators acknowledged there are security cameras on the property and are reviewing footage for any clues.
It was not immediately known whose phone was covered in the second warrant.
Friends of Halterman gathered at the intersection of Route 68 and Davis Road awaiting word from authorities Wednesday morning. One woman, who asked not to be identified, said she'd been friends with Halterman for 13 years.
“He was a good kid. He had a good heart,” the woman said through tears. “It was his personality. He was just bubbly. This is crazy, just crazy.The woman said she was awoken Wednesday morning by another friend who broke the news of Halterman's murder. She and other friends celebrated St. Patrick's Day with Halterman on Sunday, she said, and called the news of his death “nuts.”“He was very funny. He was always smiling,” said another woman who was at the scene.Two other men at the scene agreed, saying they were shocked by the morning's events.One of the men lives nearby on Davis Road. He said he was sleeping on the couch when he learned what happened.“My mom called,” he recalled. “She said, 'Max got shot.'”The news stunned the man.“I knew Max over the years,” the man said. “He was a nice guy and a lot of fun. He didn't deserve this.”Police were first on scene along with an East Butler Ambulance crew. A single red flare at the bottom of the driveway was the only visible sign of possible trouble.Eventually, Simon and three other prosecutors from the district attorney's office arrived to assist in the investigation.Most of Halterman's friends at the intersection also know Miller, and their descriptions of him were not flattering.Some referred to the teen's trouble with the law and others claimed he yearned for a thug-like reputation.He is seen in recent photos on his Facebook page with the word “murder” underneath his right eye.“If a kid has 'murder' tattooed under his eye,” one of Halterman's friends said, “he's probably up to no good.”
