Possible motive provided for Round Rock kidnapping, murder

Federal prosecutors held nothing back Wednesday when they called the 15-year-old daughter of Tanya Bates to the stand. In graphic detail, the teen testified that the alleged abuse by Terry Miles began when she was about 13 - shortly after meeting him at her father’s home in Louisiana.

Miles later moved into Bates’ Round Rock home, and the inappropriate relationship allegedly continued on a daily basis. He even was accused of drilling screws into the window screens to prevent anyone from sneaking in to see her. The teen also told the jury Miles would hit her if he thought she was looking at boys, and that he would also allegedly lock her in a closet if she did not return his affections.

Terry Miles is charged with kidnapping the two daughters of Tanya Bates in January of 2018.

At the time the girls were 7 and 14. They were later found in Colorado with Miles at a remote campground. Wednesday in court, Round Rock detective Bernie Villegas told the jury that when he first reviewed images of Miles at a store in Colorado he noted that the girls did not try to escape.

When asked why she didn’t resist, the teen said she was afraid Miles would hurt them.

The teen went on to testify that the night her mom was killed at their Round Rock house, an argument broke out after Miles told Bates he was going to marry her daughter. The fight allegedly escalated with Miles, according to the teen, hitting her mom in the face just before she ran to her sister’s room.

The teen said Miles later came to get her with blood on his face.

When she walked out the room she saw her mother on the floor severely beaten; in the process of dying. She told the jury Miles apologized and told her they had to go.

The medical examiner testified that Tonya Bates died from blunt force trauma to her head. 

During cross examination, the teenager admitted she told authorities that Terry Miles did not kill her mom and that she left with him willingly but she also said he told her to say that and she did so because she was afraid of him. 

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