[chris]

Wade Allen of Sturgis, then 35, was sentenced June 1, 2023, to 39 to 60 years for second-degree homicide after pleading no contest in the death of his girlfriend, Kelly-Jien Warner-Miller, at his Sturgis apartment in early May 2019.

Warner-Miller, 42, was Allen's on-again, off-again girlfriend of several years. She was a mother and grandmother who had previously stayed at Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries. Neighbors later reported hearing the couple fight, and prosecutors described a longer pattern of physical abuse toward Warner-Miller and Allen's prior partners.

After Warner-Miller's death, Allen kept her body in a bathtub for a time, then dismembered the remains and stored them in coolers at his apartment on the 200 block of North Maple Street in Sturgis, St. Joseph County. An acquaintance identified as "Steven," who said he had known Allen for about 10 years, told dispatch that Allen said Warner-Miller "kind of got mouthy," that he backhanded her and "accidentally killed her." Allen asked him to help dispose of the remains, but he refused and later called authorities. Police found the remains after the 911 tip on the evening of May 22, 2019, and arrested Allen that day. They said Warner-Miller had been dead about two weeks.

During questioning, Allen denied Warner-Miller was there and said she was in Kalamazoo. He initially refused entry because the apartment was "a mess" and, when asked about a cooler, said he was getting ready for summer. Officers entered after telling him he would be held outside while they sought a warrant and found remains in a living-room cooler. A later warrant search recovered remains from two coolers. The defense challenged the warrantless look as unconstitutional, but the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled the evidence admissible under the inevitable-discovery rule, finding that a warrant would have been issued and the remains found.

While awaiting trial, Allen told cellmates he had strangled Warner-Miller. After learning they had reported the statements, he sexually assaulted one cellmate on Oct. 7, 2020, while they were housed together. Allen spent time in jail and psychiatric facilities before being found competent to stand trial. The Michigan Attorney General handled the case because the county prosecutor had previously represented Allen.

On Jan. 30, 2023, the day before trial was scheduled to begin, Allen entered no-contest, or nolo contendere, pleas to second-degree homicide, attempted dismemberment and mutilation of a body, and attempted third-degree criminal sexual conduct. He did not admit the killing in court and said he never wanted Warner-Miller to die.

St. Joseph County Circuit Judge Paul Stutesman also sentenced Allen to 2 to 5 years for attempted dismemberment and mutilation and 38 months to 5 years for attempted third-degree criminal sexual conduct, consecutive to the homicide sentence. He received credit for 1,470 days served and was ordered to pay restitution for burial expenses, court costs and fines. He must register for life as a Michigan sex offender. Local court reporting sometimes listed the homicide term as 37 1/2 to 60 years, while the official Michigan Attorney General release states 39 to 60 years.

The video is an approximately 88-minute police interview-room recording. It presents the interview itself without narration or a presenter.