Murder Trial of Madison Man Underway in Monroe County

The trial for a Monroe County man accused of murder got underway on Monday, March 17, 2025, and could last all week according to court records.

It took seven hours on Monday for a jury to be selected.

Lyle Miller is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Betty Hayes, who was reported missing in December 2021.

Miller was arrested a year and a half after Hayes went missing after investigators recovered her remains from a pond.

According to court records filed at the time of Miller’s arrest, he told investigators he struck Hayes in the head, killing her, and placed her body in the pond.

Opening statements got underway this morning (Tuesday) in the Monroe County Circuit Courthouse in Paris before Judge Rick Tucker of Macon.