Randall Miller, ‘Midnight Rider’ Director, Completes Probation and Gets Manslaughter Conviction Cleared

By Gene Maddaus

According To The variety Randall Miller, the director of “Midnight Rider,” completed his probation this week, 10 years after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of crew member Sarah Jones.

Jones, a camera assistant, was struck by a freight train in February 2014 while the crew was setting up a shot on a train bridge without authorization. Miller ultimately served a year in jail in the case.

Under the Georgia First Offender Act, Miller got a court order this week to wipe away his conviction. The process, called an “exoneration” under Georgia law, is available to certain first-time offenders who complete their probation without violations.

I am so grateful that this day has finally come,” he said in a written statement. “With this exoneration my record has been cleared.”

While on probation, Miller has been prohibited from directing movies.

Prosecutors sought to revoke his probation in 2020, after learning that he had shot a film in Serbia. Miller argued that he believed he was allow to direct, so long as someone else was responsible for safety. At a lengthy hearing in 2021, a judge gave him a stern admonition but declined to send him back to jail.

The restriction is now lifted, leaving Miller free to direct “Supercrip,” an independent film about a quadriplegic Uber driver who meets a self-centered movie star. That film was granted a $1.5 million tax credit by the state of California last fall.

Production was initially set to begin this month, but has been delayed, and it is not clear when it will begin. Miller is a writer and producer on the project, but has not said whether he or someone else will direct the film.

After her death, Sarah Jones’ father, Richard, founded a non-profit, Safety for Sarah, to advocate for safe working conditions on film sets.

He said Friday that he was aware Miller would be eligible to wipe away the conviction, though he believes Miller did violate his probation.

“Will people want to work for him?” he asked. “Personally I would caution them to think about their safety.”

After the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” in 2021, the California Legislature set up a pilot program to require a safety supervisor on set for projects that receive tax incentives. “Supercrip” will participate in that program, Miller said.

Miller said he also wants to “contribute to the larger conversation about safety on film sets.”

“There is much more work to be done,” he said.