A Santa Barbara man will spend at least 50 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder, robbery and other charges stemming from a home invasion in Santa Barbara two years ago.
Jack Mills, 54, was found guilty on Friday of all seven counts filed against him, according to Deputy District Attorney Benjamin Ladinig.
His wife, Rebecca Mills, 52, pleaded no contest Monday to a single count of attempted robbery in connection with the attack, and will be sentenced to three years in state prison as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, Ladinig said. (A no contest-plea is not an admission of guilt, but has the same effect as a conviction for purposes of punishment.)
The Santa Barbara County Superior Court jury returned the verdicts against Jack Mills after hearing closing arguments from Ladinig and defense attorney Steve Balash last Thursday.
Mills was convicted of attempted premeditated murder, two counts of assault with a firearm, two counts of attempted robbery, and one count each of residential burglary and being a felon in possession of a firearm, Ladinig said.
The Millses were accused of a home invasion at a residence in the 1500 block of Gillespie Street on March 1, 2010. Two accomplices who authorities believe were involved in the crime have not been identified or apprehended, Ladinig said.
Santa Barbara police said a female resident answered her door, and Jack Mills punched her in the stomach, knocked her down, and shot her 31-year-old nephew in the forehead at close range when he came to her aid.
The victim survived the shooting, and the family eventually moved out of the residence, according to police.
Working with neighboring jurisdictions, U.S. Marshals and more than 100 tips from local residents, major-crimes detectives helped orchestrate the arrest two weeks later of the Millses in Pahrump, Nev.
A series of tips from neighbors, community members and other law enforcement agencies helped find the Millses through their 1993 black Volvo sedan spotted on Gillespie Street the day of the shooting. Someone spotted a car matching the eyewitness description at a gas station off Turnpike Road, and surveillance photos led to a positive identification of the suspects by the victims.
“It was just a fantastic job done by the police,” Ladinig said Monday, noting the difficulty of determining who the suspects were and locating them.
Balash, who came into the case late after Mills had been acting as his own attorney, said Monday he wasn’t surprised by the outcome.
“You can’t argue with a jury verdict,” Balash said. “It was a sad case, a tragedy, but I don’t believe there was any plan (by Mills) to shoot somebody.”
At a hearing Monday afternoon, Judge Frank Ochoa upheld allegations of prior serious felonies, which allowed for Jack Mills to receive the maximum sentences in the case, Ladinig said..
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.