Sixteen years after her brutal murder, Izard County Circuit Court information unsealed by Judge Tim Weaver revealed the suspect in the Rebekah Gould case has confessed to the killing.
William Alma Miller, 44, of Cottage Grove, Ore., confessed to attacking and killing Gould while she was at a rural Izard County residence in 2004, according to the arrest affidavit.
Apparently, Miller was in Izard County at the time of the murder visiting relatives, including his cousin who was in a relationship with Gould, the court information said.
At the time of the murder, Miller was 28 years old. Gould was 22.
The unsealed information said Arkansas State Police investigators went to Oregon on Nov. 7 to find Miller, interview him, and if called for, arrest Miller in the case.
The probable cause for arrest affidavit said during the course of the interview, it was revealed that on the morning of Sept. 20, 2004, Miller drove to where Gould was staying and concealed his Chevy 5-10 pickup truck in a field behind the residence.
After knocking on the front door, Miller told investigators Gould let him inside to use the telephone. He pretended to use the phone while Gould went back to her bedroom.
According to the court information, Miller said he then took a leg from a piano located in the living room, went into Gould’s bedroom, and began striking Gould multiple times with the piano leg.
Miller advised he then wrapped her body in a blanket and placed her in the bed of his pickup truck. He next drove on State Highway 9, stopping at the first scenic overlook southwest of Melbourne, and dumped the deceased body, the affidavit said.
Gould’s body was found on Sept. 27, 2004, a week after she went missing.
William Alma Miller is charged in the case with first-degree murder, a Class Y felony.
Why Miller committed the crime he has apparently confessed to has yet to be shared by investigators.
Get up-to-date local and regional news along with the latest sports and weather every weekday morning by listening to Gary B. on Ozark Newsline, broadcast from the First Community Bank Newsroom on Arkansas 103.3. White River Now updates are also aired weekday mornings on 93 KZLE, Outlaw 106.5, and Your FM 99.5. Have a news tip or event to promote? Email White River Now at news@whiterivernow.com. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Add don’t forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
