Hamilton man stabbed 15 times after apartment clash, Crown alleges

Just hours before Mike White was fatally stabbed on a Hamilton Mountain street, he had been with the man accused of his murder.

The Crown presented this detail as part of its timeline during White's murder trial on Wednesday in a Hamilton courtroom. Crown attorney Paul McDermott described how, on the weekend of December 13, 2020, White was with Angelo Miller and two women at Miller’s apartment.

However, McDermott noted that there were issues in the apartment. Miller has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of White, who was stabbed in the early hours of December 13 and succumbed to his injuries the following day.

In court, Miller, dressed in a grey suit and black-framed glasses, sat beside his lawyers. McDermott detailed that Miller, White, and the two women were using drugs at the apartment located at 825 Concession St., and alleged that Miller had assaulted one of the women multiple times.

After leaving the apartment, White and the two women were captured on surveillance footage at a nearby variety store. McDermott said that shortly after, Miller called his father, Angelo Graci, who drove a blue Kia Soul from “some distance” to the Concession Street area to meet his son.

Miller then got into the vehicle with his father, and they began searching for White, with their movements recorded on surveillance cameras. While the women had departed the area, White remained nearby, just a few blocks from the apartment.

McDermott stated that Miller and his father eventually located White on East 27th Street. According to McDermott, Miller and White walked down the street, where Miller allegedly stabbed White multiple times, resulting in White's death.

White collapsed on East 27th after being stabbed 15 times, and residents found the 42-year-old fatally injured on the street. McDermott reported that witnesses saw the blue Kia Soul speeding away from the scene.

McDermott emphasized that much of the evidence in the case will come from video surveillance, given the extensive camera coverage throughout the city in locations such as stores, gas stations, and hospital parking lots.

He explained that many of the videos and images will feature the blue Kia Soul, which Miller was believed to be in, around 6 a.m. on December 13.

Following the opening address, the trial proceeded with a focus on photos of the East 27th crime scene and a blue Kia Soul seized from Graci by police on December 14, 2020. Sgt. Michael Eves of Hamilton’s forensics unit presented photos showing suspected bloodstains on the road and sidewalk near the northern end of East 27th, as well as a large pool of blood near the back parking lot close to 688 Concession St.

Among the evidence found at the scene were a cellphone, lighters, an empty phone case, a chocolate bar, a partially smoked cigarette, and a first-aid bag. Further south on the street, a spilled cotton candy milkshake and suspected bloodstains were visible.

Photos of the Kia Soul showed suspected bloodstains on both the exterior and interior of the passenger door. Crown attorney Sean Doherty also noted that an iPhone belonging to Miller was found in the glove box.

The trial is set to continue on Thursday.