A 55-year-old Garden Grove woman has been sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for fatally shooting her longtime friend and roommate in 2023.
Michelle Ilene Buzick was convicted on July 31 of second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement for killing Chris Miller on September 12, 2023, inside their apartment on Lotus Drive. She received 758 days of credit for time already served.
In a letter to the court, Buzick expressed deep remorse, writing that Miller died while trying to stop her from taking her own life. “That day was the worst day of my life,” she wrote. “Chris Miller is my hero for saving my life and giving me a second chance.”
Defense attorney Catherine Learned said Buzick was under the influence of methamphetamine and suicidal at the time. Since her arrest, she has reportedly achieved sobriety and completed a rehabilitation program through Phoenix House.
However, Senior Deputy District Attorney Nick Thomo argued that the killing stemmed from a contentious relationship between Buzick and Miller. Prosecutors said Buzick shot Miller in the head, then fled to her boyfriend’s home in Cypress, where she allegedly admitted the shooting.
Authorities later located her in Lake Elsinore, where she was arrested and the murder weapon was recovered from her car.
During the trial, the defense portrayed the incident as a mental health crisis that turned tragic, insisting Buzick intended to end her own life, not Miller’s.
Prosecutors countered that Buzick had sent threatening texts about money disputes and previously expressed animosity toward Miller.
Despite her claims of remorse, the court found sufficient evidence of intentional murder, imposing a sentence of 19 years to life.
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