Bryan Patrick Miller Sentenced to Death

Bryan Patrick Miller was sentenced to two death sentences for the first-degree murder of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas. Miller also received an additional 24 years for two counts of kidnapping and two counts of attempted sexual assault related to the same attacks.

Angela Brosso was murdered on November 8, 1992, while out on a bike ride along a canal in Phoenix.  Almost a year later, on September 21, 1993, Melanie Bernas’ body was found in an area about 1.5 miles away from the location where Angela’s body was discovered. The murders remained unsolved until 2015 when DNA evidence linked Miller to the killings.

Jill Canetta, Melanie Bernas’ older sister, told the court, “September of this year will mark the 30-year anniversary of the gruesome murder of our beloved little sister, Melanie. Words cannot begin to explain the level of excruciating pain we experience every single day since her murder. We live without her smile, her hugs, her companionship. We live without her love.”

Linda Brosso, Angela Brosso’s mother, added, “The defendant stole my angel from the Earth. Angela was my one and only. I will never be able to plan her wedding. I will never have grandchildren. With his actions on that night, he murdered my angel, he ripped my heart, and I will never, ever be the same.”

In March of 2022, the defendant opted for a bench trial which means the case was to be heard by a judge, without a jury present.  In April of this year, Judge Suzanne Cohen found Miller guilty on all six counts. Miller is the second defendant to receive a death sentence in Maricopa County this year.

“What happened to Melanie and Angela were horrific crimes,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “It has taken decades of rigorous work by the Phoenix Police Department and the Phoenix Crime Lab to achieve justice, and I commend their detectives, officers, and civilian personnel. Likewise, I give my thanks to the prosecutors and staff of my office who worked relentlessly to bring a measure of peace to the families of these two young women.”