1 of 3 charged in Three Oaks murder enters blind guilty plea

A 34-year-old man will be sentenced in July for aggravated battery and armed robbery in connection with the death of Robert Krikie Jr., whose body police found last year floating in the water at Three Oaks Recreation Area in Crystal Lake.

McHenry County prosecutors on Friday dismissed murder charges against Michael M. Miller in exchange for the man’s blind guilty plea to aggravated battery and armed robbery. The state’s attorney’s office also dismissed charges of robbery, mob action and concealing a homicidal death.

Because the plea was blind, a sentence was not agreed to when Miller entered the partial negotiation on Friday.

Prosecutors intend to argue for the “upper range” of sentence possibilities at Miller’s July 16 sentencing hearing. More details about the case “will come to light” at that time, McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally said Tuesday.

Miller was one of three people arrested on March 17, 2020, in connection with the death of 51-year-old Robert Krikie Jr. Investigators believe Krikie and the accused men, all of whom were homeless, knew one another, although it’s unclear what they were doing at Three Oaks that evening.

According to court documents, Miller, 24-year-old Devin J. Petersen, and 51-year-old William P. Linke, beat Krikie and hit him in the head with a rock, killing him. The men also are accused of taking Krikie’s wallet, which the man’s family has said likely contained no more than $5 and half a pack of cigarettes.

It’s too soon to say whether Miller’s plea might affect Linke and Petersen’s cases or whether the charges against those men would make it to trial, Kenneally said.

Linke is scheduled to next appear in court Thursday and Petersen is due back on June 25.

Police located Krikie’s body after one of the three men called 911 from their phone and placed it in their pocket, Krikie’s ex-wife Debra Keene said.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Keene said she believes Miller was the one who ultimately killed Krikie and she hoped to see him put away for murder.

“No, I’m not satisfied with it,” Keene said. “I wanted him to face the murder charges.”

Miller is not eligible for probation. The most serious charge, armed robbery, is a Class X felony punishable by as many as 30 years in prison. If the judge finds that the offense caused great bodily harm, Miller could be ordered to serve at least 85% of his prison term under Illinois truth-in-sentencing guidelines.

He also could be subject to consecutive sentencing, meaning he would need to complete his sentence for one charge before he could begin serving the other.

Kenneally declined to say why they didn’t take Miller’s case to trial, citing ongoing investigations tied to the remaining two defendants.

Keene said that Miller was offered a partially negotiated plea in part because each of the men’s recollection of that night varied to some extent.

“They had conflicting testimony,” Keene said.

Although she lives out of state, Keene plans to attend Miller’s sentencing hearing and read aloud a letter on Krikie’s behalf, she said.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct sentencing date for Miller. The date is July 16.