Missouri teen faces life in prison for 'sudden passion' attack on friend, police say

In early February, a Missouri teen said his friends choked him using a rope, bashed his head with a rock and threatened to stab and kill him, according to police.

Now one of those alleged attackers is charged with a felony as an adult. Matthew Miller, 16, of Chillicothe faces first-degree assault, which is defined by Missouri law as the attempt to kill someone or to cause or attempt to cause serious physical injury.

If convicted, the crime carries a maximum of life in prison.

According to charging documents against Miller:

The victim, who is 15, met Miller and another 16-year-old at a barbeque joint in Chillicothe on the February night.

The victim's friends then lured him to an area beneath a railroad bridge in rural Livingston County, about 90 miles northeast of Kansas City. One friend wrapped a rope around the victim's neck, causing him to momentarily lose consciousness. The victim was then struck in the head with a rock. When he wriggled free and fell to the ground, his attackers bound his hands and feet.

"Nighty night," one attacker told the victim, according to court records. When the victim asked, "Why me?" one of his attackers told the victim "he didn't see any future for him."

The victim said he was able to escape only when he agreed to help the attackers kill someone else whom "they hated worst."

Shortly after the attack, Livingston Sheriff Steve Cox wrote the incident was being investigated as an assault and attempted murder.

The victim suffered a broken finger, neck contusion and laceration to the head.

Police found a knife, twine rope, tape, gloves and a rock stained with what appeared to be blood at the crime scene.

The second attacker has not been charged as an adult. His or her identity is not public.

A Livingston deputy wrote that the attackers were "under the influence of sudden passion." No other motive was listed in the documents.

The victim told police his attackers were "psychos" who "thought it would be fun."

This story was originally published April 11, 2018 at 8:31 PM with the headline "Missouri teen faces life in prison for 'sudden passion' attack on friend, police say."