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Wimer killer gets 25 years Victim's mother shows compassion By CHRIS BRISTOL As family and friends of the killer and his victim sat together in a show of solidarity, a 22-year-old Wimer man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for the drug-related murder of a friend he had known since childhood. Cameron Blaine Perry will not be eligible for parole until the year 2024. Circuit Judge Ray White imposed the mandatory sentence just 11 days after a Jackson County jury rejected Perry's defense of insanity for the murder of Paul "Bern" Miller. Perry claimed he shot Miller, 21, in the red-rage grip of a clinical psychological condition called "intermittent explosive disorder." The jury didn't buy it. Neither did Miller's mother. In a statement to the court, Cheryl Martin-Sund spoke about the senseless death of her son over a stolen stash of marijuana. "You made the choice to get a gun," she said, looking directly at Perry. "You made the choice to get Bern. You made the choice to shoot Bern, not once but numerous times. "You took away Bern's choices." But that was as close as she came to rebuke and condemnation. Instead, Martin-Sund reached out to Perry "as one of our sons" and urged him not to waste away in prison. "Our hearts go out to you ... and I hope you'll use this as an opportunity to turn your life around," she said. "Don't let Bern's death not be anything. Make something of yourself." Perry had little to say for himself. "I'm sorry," he said. "There's not nothing I can do to take it back." The killing rocked the tiny community of Wimer, east of Rogue River, as much for the personalities involved as the drug-inspired nature of the deed. Both youths had deep roots in Wimer and had known each other their entire lives. They were not best friends, but neither were they enemies. According to trial testimony, Perry confessed to police that he killed Miller because he suspected Miller had burglarized his house and stolen a stash of marijuana from a bedroom. With two friends in tow, Perry lured Miller to a remote logging road on his 21st birthday under the pretext of smoking marijuana and, without warning, shot him several times in the head at close range. He then dragged the body over an embankment. Both the eyewitnesses testified for the state. A psychologist for the defense testified that Perry suffered from intermittent explosive disorder, but an expert for the prosecution testified that IED is an extremely rare disorder and that Perry simply had a tendency to overreact to perceived slights or criticisms. The prosecution argued that Perry carefully planned the murder. Several witnesses testified that Perry made incriminating statements that he intended to kill Miller. The jury also found Perry guilty of tampering with evidence, a misdemeanor. Judge Ray White gave Perry one year in jail, to be served concurrently (or simultaneously) with the murder sentence. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA