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Judge finds Bryan Patrick Miller guilty in 'canal killings' trial

Bryan Patrick Miller was accused of killing Melanie Bernas in 1993 and Angela Brosso in 1992. The two victim's bodies were found inside the Arizona Canal.

PHOENIX — The man accused of killing a woman and a female teenager in the 1990s has been found guilty by a Maricopa County Superior Court judge.

Bryan Patrick Miller waived his right to a jury trial, so the case was heard by a judge. The judge disagreed with the defense's argument that Miller could not be found guilty by reason of insanity.

Miller was also found guilty on counts of kidnapping and attempted sexual assault.

The bodies of Melanie Bernas, 21, and Angela Brosso, 17, were found in the Arizona Canal near Metrocenter Mall in 1993 and 1992, respectively. Miller was accused of the crime after DNA linked him to both deaths in 2015.

Miller's attorneys did not deny that Miller killed both women, but claimed an insanity defense. They said Miller does not remember the attacks and was abused by his mother as a child. According to their arguments, Miller had developed a complex dissociative disorder in response to early childhood trauma. 

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said she's relieved that the families of the victims can finally experience some solace now that Miller has been convicted.

“This verdict in the murders of Angela Brosso and Melanie Burnas took decades of work by law enforcement and prosecutors,” Mitchell said in a statement. “After more than two decades of anguish, the families of these women now have someone held accountable for their heinous murders.”

This is a developing story. Tune in to 12News for the latest information.

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