I still think Charlotte is alive today, says chef accused of murdering his ex-fiancee

A CO Tyrone chef accused of murdering his former fiancee has denied he “vanished” her seven years ago, telling a court that he believes she is still alive.

Johnny Miller, who is charged with the murder of Charlotte Murray, also told his Dungannon Crown Court trial yesterday that he knows of no reason why she should disappear, leaving him “swinging in the wind”.

Miller, now with an address in Redford Park, Dungannon, said that he “wished Charlotte would walk through” the door of the court “big time”.

The 48-year-old, who denies murdering the then 34-year-old between October 30 and November 2, 2012, also repeatedly rejected a number of propositions from prosecution QC Richard Weir that he was responsible for her death, that he had killed her in a murderous rage or in a silly fit of lost temper. He told the court: “I didn’t kill her.”

Mr Weir initially put it to Miller that to suppose Charlotte had indeed disappeared “and gone off on her own volition”, she would have subsequently learned of the “terrible trouble” now facing Miller.

“I would hope so,” he replied. Mr Weir then asked that since they had “parted in good terms... what reason would Charlotte have to not coming forward, say hey hold on here, look here I am, look I am not dead, and that more importantly from your point of view, that you didn’t kill her”.

“I didn’t kill her,” said Miller, before adding: “I would love her to walk through that door.”

Mr Weir again put it to him: “Why would she let you swing in the wind, the way you have been swinging in front of a jury, charged with her murder, that’s

Vanished: Charlotte Murray

not the sort of thing Charlotte would have done.”

“I don’t know,” he replied. Miller agreed that while Charlotte may have been “volatile and difficult at times, she was not malevolent” towards him.

“I am suggesting to you it’s completely beyond understanding that if she was alive she would not be coming forward,” Mr Weir said.

“I wish she would... I just want to see her back... big time,” Miller responded.

Later, when asked what “suddenly” took him onto the internet looking at sites to sell her engagement ring on, Miller claimed it was because she had emailed him with what the prosecution claimed were “the mucky photographs” of her having sex with one of his friends.

However, Mr Weir claimed this could not be the reason as the accused had not received the explicit images for a further 13 minutes on that morning of November 1, 2012.

While he initially agreed that if he had Charlotte’s mobile phone, he could have sent the material himself, and also text messages supposedly from her, Miller denied he had, as he did not have her ‘pin’ security code enabling him to use the phone.

Miller added: “I still think Charlotte is still alive.”

However, Mr Weir again asked why Ms Murray had not come forward in the last seven years, before adding: “Charlotte wouldn’t do that to you because no matter what had passed between you... that was not her form... and the reason for that is because you killed her.”

Mr Weir further suggested that the reason why Miller had not attempted to text her on the morning of her alleged disappearance was “because you knew you killed her and there was no point”.

“I didn’t kill her, I definitely know that... no chance,” he replied. He also rejected the scenario that he had lost his temper, and like many others had “done silly things”, and while not meaning to either hurt or cause her serious harm “it got out of hand”.

Mr Weir suggested the reason why he allegedly did not try to contact Charlotte was “because you knew she had vanished, because you have vanished her”. “No way,” said Mr Miller. The trial continues.