By Eileen Persike, editor

The man who admitted to killing Hannah Miller and leaving her body in a ditch near Rhinelander last year will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Christopher T. Anderson, 31, was sentenced today by Oneida County Circuit Judge Michael Bloom after pleading guilty to first degree intentional homicide Aug. 12.

Miller’s father, aunt, and a friend spoke during the sentencing hearing about the impact of the 26-year-old’s death June 30, 2021. As part of the plea agreement, District Attorney Michael Schiek asked the judge to have the defendant released after 40 years.

When it was his turn, Anderson’s attorney, Scott F. Anderson, also asked for release after 40 years, saying his client requested the plea offer and accepted responsibility, which he called “a necessary step toward some closure” for the family.

The defendant read a statement, apologizing to “the family of the victim and anyone else that has been affect by the situation.” Anderson added that he “prayed to God and the judge” to give him a second chance at life.

The judge read a series of text messages and notes found on Miller’s phone after her death; an account of physical, sexual and emotional abuse Miller indicated was inflicted upon her by Anderson.

“Hannah Miller struggled to find a way to get away from the defendant, to put a stop to the ongoing abuse, to put an end to the constant misery that she suffered at the hands of the defendant,” Bloom said.

Bloom said he found the defendant “devoid of character and dangerous; a threat to the public.” Bloom added that the way she was shot four times and left on the side of the road was “vicious and aggravated.”

“This wasn’t the act of a spurned lover or a jealous man caught in a fit of passionate rage,” Bloom said. “It wasn’t the act of a despairing father, overwhelmed by anguish at the thought of losing contact with a … child. These were the acts of an assassin; brutal, ruthless, cold blooded, committed against the mother of his daughter.”

Bloom said in his judgement, the defendant should not have the opportunity to re-enter society.

“The totality of the defendant’s actions against Hannah Miller is beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct,” Bloom concluded.

Anderson was sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity for parole.