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Sarah Jones. Photo: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Randall Miller, the director of the "Midnight Rider" location shoot where 27-year-old camera assistant Sarah Jones died last year, pleaded guilty today in a Georgia court to involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass. Miller was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, but the time served is expected to be up to two years in the Wayne County Jail, with the rest of the term served as probation barring him from working as any kind of a supervisor on a film set. Charges against producer Jody Savin, Miller's wife, were dropped as part of the plea deal. The couple has children ages 12 and 14, and defense lawyers said Miller did not want to risk both parents going to jail after a trial.
Miller was taken into custody in the court room. He will be the first Hollywood director to serve jail time in an on-set death.
Sarah Jones was killed in February of 2014 during unlicensed filming of a scene on a railroad trestle over the Altamaha River in rural Georgia. After today's sentencing, her parents said they hoped the prison term would send Hollywood a message. “We do call for the movie and television industry to examine themselves and examine the myth of this bubble of cinematic immunity they may think they have,” Richard Jones, Sarah Jones’ father, told reporters.
Executive producer Jay Sedrish was sentenced to 10 years probation in the case and a $10,000 fine. Charges are expected to be resolved soon against Hillary Schwartz, the movie’s first assistant director.
"Midnight Rider" was to be a film about rocker Gregg Allman. Sounds like the project has been dropped.
Coverage today: AP, LA Times, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Wrap
