‘I was absolutely petrified, to say the very least’: Trial for Inkom man accused of child sex crimes begins with victim testimony

POCATELLO — The trial for a man accused of raping a child began Tuesday with victim testimony.

The victim, who said she was around 10 years old when the incidents began between 2016 and 2017, said Kwentin Nicholas Miller, now 29, touched her sexually and forced her to touch him sexually. Over time, she said, things “progressed” to intercourse.

Miller is charged with four counts of lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16 and two counts of rape. If found guilty, he could face up to life in prison.

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Miller was indicted in February 2023. Because court documents have been sealed, little is know at this time about the investigation that led to his arrest.

Jury selection for the trial spanned a little over one day — Monday and the first half of Tuesday. The jury, which is made up of eight women and six men, heard testimony from the victim Tuesday afternoon.

The victim said Miller kissed, touched and forced himself onto her “any chance” he could — “much more than once.”

“I was terrified. I felt like my world was ending,” she said of one incident, adding that she felt disgusted and wanted to take a bath in bleach. “It progressed to intercourse.”

Asked why she never told her family or another adult about what was happening, the victim said she was “disgusted” and “scared.” She said she wanted to tell someone, but did not know how to go about it and was not prepared to have that conversation.

“I was ashamed. It was embarrassing,” she said.

The victim added Miller referred to her as “future wifey” and “childish pet names” in Snapchat messages. He also text messaged her, she said.

Text messages, she added, were consistent with an appropriate relationship between an adult and child known to each other. His Snapchat account, she continued, was set to erase messages after they were viewed and were not appropriate in the same way.

Miller also requested letters from the victim, according to testimony, and hid those letters in a hole, cut into drywall in his garage. He also wrote letters to her.

Special Prosecuting Attorney Katelyn Farley from the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, had the victim read one of the letters she said Miller gave her. The letter began, “To my future wife.”

“Your smile is what makes my heart skip a beat,” the letter said in part.

The letter ended with hearts over the initials “KM.”

Miller purchased himself and the victim matching white silicon rings, calling them “a devotion to our love,” she said. He also spoke about running away with her to Alaska, to get married, after she turned 18.

The victim received other gifts from Miller, she said, including both tobacco and THC vapes. She said she was expected to “pay” for the gifts with sexual favors.

When asked by the prosecutor if she was interested in being involved in a sexual relationship with Miller, the victim responded, “absolutely not.” When Farley asked if Miller respected her wishes, the victim said, “absolutely not,” before she could get the entire question out.

The victim testified about her family and law enforcement discovering the incidents. She said she received a text message from her mom saying she knew about everything.

“It was like a wash of relief,” she said.

Afraid of how Miller would react, the victim said she lied to investigators during first interviews, adding that she later told the truth about what occurred.

The trial will continue Wednesday.

Though Miller has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.