William Craig Miller, an investigative lead in the shooting deaths of five people in Mesa last month, was arrested shortly before 9 p.m. Friday outside an upscale Scottsdale restaurant and booked on five counts of first-degree murder.
Miller, 28, paid his $140 dinner tab and was driving off with his wife, Michelle, when they were surrounded by at least six unmarked Mesa police vehicles, and he was ordered to the ground.
Moments after officers swooped in, Miller was asked by an Arizona Republic reporter if he was the murderer.
"You know that I'm not going to comment on that," he said, looking away.
Police said Miller, who also faces one count of misconduct involving weapons and one count of burglary, did not act alone but wouldn't elaborate late Friday.
Miller's wife, who has been living in New York for several months with their young son, was not arrested.
Steven Duffy and his brother Shane, 18, as well as Steven's girlfriend Tammy Lovell, and her two children, Cassandra, 15, and Jacob, 10, were shot and killed in their rented home in a quiet Mesa neighborhood at Baseline Road and Loop 202 on Feb. 21 in a scene police called horrific.
Police this week served search warrants at Miller's home, removing evidence as they moved toward an arrest.
Miller, the owner of a damage restoration company where Lovell,Steven and Shane once worked, was named an investigative lead about a week after the murder.
He and Steven Duffy were co-defendants in a November arson and insurance-fraud case where Miller's million-dollar Scottsdale home was torched. According to court records, Duffy and Tammy Lovell were working with Scottsdale police to build a case against Miller.
The couple told police they feared for their lives after the arrest. Miller was arrested Dec. 1 with a loaded gun in the back seat of the Audi he was driving Friday night.
A day earlier, Miller told reporters he had no motive to kill Duffy and Lovell and could have discredited their testimony if the arson case had gone to trial. The case is still open.
Stephenie Duffy, Steven's sister, wept uncontrollably after she heard of the arrest and relatives said that they would call other family members before commenting.
Luhanna Chesley of Chandler, Tammy Lovell's sister, said, "I'm very appreciative of the dedication of the Mesa Police Department. We are thankful they are not letting this go. I will be glad when they have everyone involved and when the prosecution is finished." Interim Mesa Police Chief G.T. Fowler said officers worked around the clock to make the arrest.
"I want to tell the Lovell and Duffy families how sorry we area for their tragic losses," he said, adding that the investigation was far from over.
"We are very confident that Miller did not act alone," spokesman Sgt. Chuck Trapani said.
