PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) — Thursday, December 5, 2019 7:00 p.m. LATEST: In April 2018, Roena Mills was reportedly seen walking down the highway carrying the decapitated head of her boyfriend’s son. On Thursday, December 5, after the jury deliberated for less than two hours, Mills was found guilty of his murder.
Roena Mills will spend the rest of her days behind bars. The courtroom erupted with emotion as the jury handed down the guilty verdict. Mercer County prosecuting attorney, George Sitler, said she will not receive mercy.
“If ever there was a case where life without mercy was appropriate, it’s this case. This was a savage killing and decapitation,” Sitler explained.
The court saw no emotion out of Mills who is now convicted of slaughtering, torturing and beheading 29-year-old Bo White. She maintained a cold demeanor throughout trial.
“Frankly, I think it was the attitude of the defendant in the courtroom,” said Sitler, “She never displayed any remorse or appreciation for what she had done.”
Sitler said prior to trial she had the words ‘special kinda crazy’ tattooed on her chest. During closing statements, he referred to cryptic statements she made after her arrest, like ‘I’m not even sorry,’ and ‘I’ve already got one body you all ain’t nothing.’
“She savors what she’s done, she revels in it, she thinks it’s the greatest achievement of her life and I think that’s what affected the jury,” Sitler said.
Deputy Logan Addair was the lead investigator on the case.
“This was unreal,” Addair said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Addair said he never wavered in his belief that it was Mills who stabbed White 18 times, punctured his heart, and cut of his head.
“The initial arrest, of course her coming out of the area from where the remains were found, the statements she had made from day one,” said Addair.
Throughout trial, the defense pointed the finger at Bo White’s father, Jimmie, claiming he was jealous that his girlfriend, Mills, was sleeping with his son.
While Mills is the proven killer, with an overwhelming amount of evidence against her, the state does not discount Jimmie’s possible role. There is still a chance he could also be charged in the future.
UPDATE 12/5/19 1:00 P.M.: THE JURY OF ROENA MILLS REACHED A VERDICT:
The jury went into deliberations this morning in the trial of Roena Mills. Deliberations ended around 1:00 PM. Mills was found guilty of 1st degree murder without mercy.
Stick with 59News for the latest updates.
UPDATE 12/4/19 1:00 P.M.: ROENA MILLS TRIAL INFO LATEST:
Day two of Roena Mills trial in front of Judge Mark Wills. Mills stood trial looking almost unrecognizable from when she was arrested.
Mills is charged with killing and decapitating 29-yesr-old Bo White. White was found beheaded at his home in Lerona on April 1, 2018.
On Wednesday, the state called medical examiner Alan Mock, who preformed White’s autopsy. He confirmed White’s cause of death was multiple blunt and sharp force injuries to the head and body and ruled his death as a homicide.
He says the blunt-force injury patterns matched a wrench found at the scene. White suffered a total of 18 stab wounds: two to the neck, 13 to the chest, two to the abdomen, and one to the back.
Mock told the court that White had a 10 inch deep stab wound on his chest, which punctured his heart and lungs and broke multiple ribs. The defense questioned, and Mock confirmed, that it would take a lot of strength to cause some of those injuries.
The prosecution then pointed out that White had kidney failure and lung damage prior to the murder— implying that he could have been weaker than an average, healthy young man. Mock also found signs of hemo-aspiration, which is when a person breathes in blood.
However, he was unable to determine for certain if White was decapitated while he was still alive because he suffered so many other injuries that could have caused blood to fill his lungs while his heart was still beating.
This is still an ongoing trial, stick with 59News for the latest updates.
September 10, 2019 10:30A.M. UPDATE: The trial for Roena Mills, the woman accused of decapitating a man, was continued following a hearing Tuesday, September 10, 2019.
Mills is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Bo White, whose body was found at a home in Mercer County and his head was found in nearby woods.
A new trial date was set for Wednesday, December 4, 2019.
Original Story:
PRINCETON, W.Va. (AP) — A request for reduced bond has been denied to a woman charged in West Virginia in the death of a man who was decapitated.
The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports 42-year-old Roena Cheryl Mills’ request to reduce her $200,000 cash-only bond was denied Thursday. Mills is charged with first-degree murder in the 2018 death of 29-year-old Bo White, whose body found at his Lerona home while his head was found in nearby woods.
A criminal complaint says Mills later went to another home while covered in blood and armed with a pocket knife. It says homeowners called police and the Rural Retreat, Virginia, woman gave authorities a fake identity. It says she was brought in for questioning and told deputies “you have to take me back and let me get my heads.”
