Jessica Miller

Legal affairs reporter

Jessica covers legal affairs and criminal justice for The Tribune, where she has worked since 2011. She was part of the team that won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time in Utah's mountains.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Olivia Herrera and Bryan's son, Luciano Pena-Valencia place a flower on the memorial for Bryan Pena-Valencia on Saturday, March 20, 2021.

A Utah first: Data that shows the race of people police shoot at

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Prison staff work to safely move inmates from their cells into the common day room to be vaccinated against COVID-19 during a vaccination event with interested incoming inmates at the Utah State Prison in Draper on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

Utah’s parole board didn’t increase compassionate releases during the pandemic

By Jessica Miller | Nate Carlisle | FOX 13 News | September 15, 2021, 7:20 p.m.

(Courtesy of FRONTLINE) Victoria Thomas recalls the police shooting that killed her son, Marc Neal, on Feb. 3, 2020.

‘Constant breaking of your heart:’ How Utah police respond to mental health crises

By Jessica Miller | Paighten Harkins | September 15, 2021, 4:31 p.m.

(Screenshot via Salt Lake City Police Department) Salt Lake City police shot and killed 34-year-old Andrew Preece on July 25, 2020, after responding to a call that two men had been fighting outside a Smith's at 455 S. 500 East.

Utah Attorney General’s Office ‘surprised’ police shot at so many people in 2020

By Paighten Harkins | Jessica Miller | September 15, 2021, 4:30 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Inmates who have died while in prison due to COVID-19.

Here are the men who died from COVID-19 in Utah’s prisons

By Jessica Miller | Nate Carlisle | FOX 13 News | September 13, 2021, 7:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox participate in a service project at the Granite Education Foundation Donation & Distribution Center as part of the national "9/11 Day of Service” campaign on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Service is one of the first lady’s four focus areas under the Show Up initiative, to honor the memory of the heroes of Sept. 11, 2001.

‘We are one Utah’: Gov. Spencer Cox urges unity during service event in remembrance of 9/11

By Jessica Miller | September 11, 2021, 9:03 p.m.

Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt holds a press conference Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in Provo, Utah. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for a Utah man accused of killing two teenagers and dumping their bodies in an abandoned mine shaft. Jerrod Baum has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder in the deaths of 17-year-old Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson and 18-year-old Riley Powell. Leavitt on Wednesday reversed that decision, saying he will no longer seek the death penalty for Baum or anyone else while he's county attorney. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Utah County attorney will no longer seek the death penalty. This family calls him a ‘coward.’

By Jessica Miller | Paighten Harkins | September 8, 2021, 11:08 p.m.

(Courtesy West Valley City police) Body camera footage shows Michael Chad Breinholt at the West Valley City Police Department on Aug. 23, 2019. Sgt. Tyler Longman shot and killed Breinholt after the handcuffed man reached for another officer's gun.

Mother of man who was killed while handcuffed in a police station files federal lawsuit

By Jessica Miller | September 1, 2021, 10:24 p.m.

(Salt Lake City police via YouTube) Officer Jordan Winegar has fired in two police shootings, both of which were found to be legally justified. The first (top) was in 2016 when he shot Abdullahi “Abdi” Mohamed who had raised a broom stick as if to hit someone. He fired again in 2020 hitting Tyler Webster who was driving a car that pushed Winegar into a nearby guardrail. Mohamed and Webster were injured but lived.

Most never shoot at someone, but these 38 Utah officers have pulled the trigger multiple times

By Paighten Harkins | Jessica Miller | September 1, 2021, 10:23 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Teen treatment registry.

Utah officials want your help as they draft new rules for the ‘troubled-teen’ industry

By Jessica Miller | September 1, 2021, 10:22 p.m.