An Owensboro woman recently charged with two counts each of attempted murder and first-degree wanton endangerment had her case waived to the Daviess County Grand Jury Wednesday. Due to potential public safety concerns and the seriousness of the charges, District Court Judge Misty Miller also chose to leave the 43-year-old Stephany Millay’s two full cash bonds at $250,000 each.
The incident occurred on Sept. 20. According to several witnesses who spoke with the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office and Owensboro Police Department, a vehicle chase allegedly led by Millay started in the county and crossed into the city. During the incident, she allegedly fired multiple shots from a semi-automatic pistol at another vehicle.
DCSO Detective Jared Spurrier provided testimony Wednesday about the case, which he said started in the 3200 block of Thruston Dermont Road. Witness statements provided to Spurrier had Millay allegedly trying to crash her black car into a gray truck that belonged to William and Talitha House — the biological parents to a juvenile child that Millay, the child’s aunt, shared custody of with one of the House’s sisters.
According to Spurrier, Millay first fired shots at the Houses’ truck on Thruston Dermont Road, where detectives later found at least three .380-caliber shell casings.
One witness said it appeared Millay was trying to kill the individuals in the truck, describing the defendant as having leaned out of her vehicle to fire shots at the truck while she drove behind them at the same time. At least five witnesses described hearing shots fired in the area.
Another witness reported that the truck put on its brakes while a woman — presumably Millay, according to testimony — walked out of her vehicle and approached the side of the truck as she fired more shots at the couple.
DCSO officials later said the truck driven by the Houses sustained severe damage that included three bullet holes, shattered glass, shredded tires and a bullet trapped in the back windshield.
The chase crossed into the city when Millay allegedly followed the truck onto KY 54. OPD Detective J.D. Faith said he was informed that DCSO and OPD would be working together on the case when he received one of many calls from his supervisors. When he spoke to the Houses, he was given the same story Spurrier had been told.
“They were traveling at a very high rate of speed [on KY 54]. They estimated they were going 100 MPH in the turning lane [while driving into the Meijer parking lot],” Faith said. “They tried to enter the parking lot, but their rear tire was flat. Tamitha told me she was worried they’d be killed by MIllay if they stopped.”
After turning around and continuing back onto KY 54, Millay allegedly chased and struck the truck with her car, causing it to spin out, Faith said. Both vehicles’ front ends collided.
According to the Houses, Millay then pointed the firearm at them and started shooting again. The incident was caught on security footage OPD obtained from Nation’s Medicine, and Faith said it corroborated the statements the Houses made to both DCSO and OPD.
To avoid being shot, Tamitha jumped out of the truck and into another vehicle driven by someone she didn’t know. Faith said the witness told him Tamitha was screaming, “They’re shooting (at) me,” over and over.
Faith said the driver refused to follow the gray truck still being driven by William because they were stopped at a red light. Tamitha then jumped out of the vehicle and took off down KY 54 on foot, where she was picked up by an OPD officer.
When Millay was approached by law enforcement, she allegedly admitted to the officers that she’d been the one shooting. A firearm matching the discovered shell cases was recovered from her pocket and law enforcement found a partial box of unused ammunition in the car that matched the gun.
According to statements from all those involved, the Houses had come to visit their child who was staying at the sister’s house for the weekend. All parties admitted this was done unbeknownst to Millay.
The child told officers that Millay didn’t want the Houses to visit her. When Millay found out where the child was staying, she allegedly became upset and started driving to the house at the same time the Houses started driving over. When the two parties crossed paths on the road, Millay began chasing the truck the Houses were driving, which escalated into the shooting incident that followed according to reports.
Based on testimony from DCSO and OPD, along with the various witness statements, video footage, and physical evidence obtained, Miller determined there was probable cause to believe the charges held against the defendant were true. The case was waived to the Daviess County Grand Jury and the two separate $250,000 full cash bonds were left unchanged against the wishes of the defense attorney, who asked that Millay be released from jail.
“For now, I’m leaving the bond the same, and that’s being done without prejudice,” Miller said.
