After 2 mistrials, Bluffton man found not guilty in Hilton Head murder case

A Beaufort County jury on Thursday found a 24-year-old Bluffton man not guilty in the October 2015 murder of Hilton Head Island man.

Brian Allen Jr., 24, was charged in connection with the Oct. 22, 2015, shooting death of Charles Miller, 30, who was shot outside a residence on Snider Walk and later pronounced dead at Hilton Head Hospital. Allen was also found not guilty of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

The trial, heard before Circuit Court Judge Carmen Mullen, was the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office’s third attempt at prosecution after two hung juries ended in two mistrials in May and in September, according to Courtney Gibbes, Allen’s attorney.

“The State failed to meet its burden (of proof),” Gibbes said. “The verdict reflected a lack of evidence in the case and was the right decision based on the issues with the state’s case. Mr. Allen is happy to be vindicated after the state had three bites at the apple.”

The 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office declined to comment on the verdict citing other ongoing charges Allen faces.

According to Beaufort County Court documents, Allen has pending cases on charges of first-degree burglary, malicious injury to a jail or courthouse, petit larceny and armed robbery.

The day after Miller was shot, Allen was arrested at the Magnolia Motel in Hardeeville by Hardeeville police and the U.S. Marshals Service Southeastern Fugitive Task Force, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

A handgun was recovered when investigators searched his hotel room. The weapon was believed to be the same caliber as the handgun used to kill Miller.

At the time, investigators said a possible motive for Miller’s death may have been an armed robbery.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 1:21 PM with the headline "After 2 mistrials, Bluffton man found not guilty in Hilton Head murder case."