Troy man gets suspended sentence in stabbing case

A Troy man accused of stabbing another man multiple times earlier this year and sending him to the hospital with serious injuries received a suspended sentence during a recent court hearing.

On Aug. 28, Joshua Miller, 36, pleaded to one felony county of aggravated assault. On Oct. 23, Lincoln County District Judge Matt Cuffe stuck with the terms of a plea agreed to by defense attorney S. Charles Sprinkle and Lincoln County Deputy Attorney Jeff Zwang. Miller’s plea deal called for an 8-year suspended sentence to the Montana State Prison. He received credit for 82 days served in the county jail.

There was some discussion of paying restitution, but Sprinkle said a Medicaid claim was not part of the plea.

Miller's conditions of release include he can't leave Montana without written consent, he must remain law-abiding and he is required to attend all future court hearings.

The case began late on the night of June 5 when Troy Police Officer Travis Miller learned a man had been stabbed on a residence on Missoula Avenue.

When Miller arrived, he saw blood in several locations outside the home and heard a woman screaming for help. Miller went inside and saw the male victim sitting at a table in a blood-soaked shirt and blood covering his right arm and hand. The woman was trying to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the man’s wounds.

Miller saw significant stab wounds on the alleged victim’s stomach and back. He also assisted with first aid until the ambulance arrived. The victim said he could feel his lung filling with blood and the officer later learned that the man had suffered at least two stab wounds to the lung.

Officer Miller found out the woman resides in the home with her estranged husband, Joshua Miller. She said she also allows the victim to stay in the home at times,

The woman told the officer that she and the victim were arguing when her husband came down the stairs and started to fight to fight with the other man. She said that Joshua Miller said, “I just stabbed him,” before running out of the house and down the street.

When the officer spoke to the victim in the hospital, he said the woman sometimes allows him and her husband, Joshua Miller, to stay in the house and that can cause problems.

The victim said the woman asked him to leave and it led to their argument. He said Joshua Miller attacked and they fought. He said he saw something in Miller’s hand, which he thought was a tazer. He said he felt Joshua Miller hit him several times. He initially thought it was the tazer before realizing he had been stabbed.

Miller had a prior conviction in 2019 after pleading guilty to attempted theft in relation to a 2018 incident. He received a 5-year suspended sentence.