Mail Tribune News - Jury selection begins in trial of Wimer man for murder

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

1999-10-13

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Jury selection begins in trial of Wimer man for murder Jury selection began Tuesday in the murder trial of Wimer resident Cameron Blaine Perry. Perry, 22, could face a sentence of life in prison if convicted in the trial, taking place in the Jackson County courtroom of Judge Ray White. Perry is accused of shooting to death fellow Wimer resident Paul "Bern" Miller, 21, on Sykes Creek Road near Wimer on Oct. 26, 1997. In June, prosecutors dropped and reduced charges against two men who had been arrested for helping cover up the death. Kristopher Lorentz Hughes, 21, formerly of Grants Pass, pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to time already served behind bars. In the plea bargain, charges of conspiracy to commit third-degree assault were dropped. Charges of tampering with physical evidence pending against Christopher Gilliver, 21, of Wimer, were dropped. Gilliver and Hughes told police they were with Perry when he shot Miller in a dispute over stolen marijuana. Perry then asked Hughes to sweep their tracks with a branch, and Hughes took a couple of swipes at the ground before dropping the branch. Gilliver and Hughes said the trio then vowed not to tell what had happened. Miller's body wasn't found for nearly two months. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA