photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

George Luke Miller appears at his plea hearing on Dec. 23, 2024, in Douglas County District Court.

A Lawrence Community Shelter resident who killed another shelter resident by violently strangling him pleaded no contest on Monday to involuntary manslaughter.

The defendant, George Miller, 34, pleaded no contest to one felony count of involuntary manslaughter in a reckless manner. The charge is in connection with the strangulation death of Christopher Allen Lickteig, 43, the night of June 11 at the intersection of 25th Terrace and Franklin Road, as the Journal-World reported. Both men were reported to be residents of the shelter.

Miller was originally charged with second-degree murder, but that charge was amended to manslaughter as part of a plea agreement with the state. The plea reduced Miller’s minimum possible penalty from over 12 years to as low as 31 months, according to Kansas sentencing guidelines.

Judge Amy Hanley accepted Miller’s plea on Monday. She said that if the state, represented by Senior Assistant District Attorney Ricardo Leal, and his attorney, Jessica Glendening, are correct in their review of Miller’s criminal history, then he faces a prison sentence of 57 months, or just under five years.

Leal gave a brief description of the events that happened the night Lickteig was killed. He said that the two men were “out on a night on the town” and drinking heavily when Miller recklessly killed Lickteig.

As the Journal-World previously reported, according to a sworn police affidavit based on statements from eyewitnesses, Miller and Lickteig were wrestling on the ground at the intersection of 25th Terrace and Franklin Road around 10:30 p.m. Miller had one arm around Lickteig’s neck and at one point shoved his other hand down Lickteig’s throat while Lickteig was “screaming for help and spitting blood.

Hanley said in addition to prison time, Miller would also have to register as a violent offender for 15 years. He has been in custody since his arrest on a $500,000 bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 27, 2025.

Glendening asked Hanley to release her client on a $50,000 bond until his sentencing date, but Leal objected, saying “a life was lost.” Hanley denied Glendening’s request, noting that she never allows such requests in these types of cases.

George Miller is taken into custody on Dec. 23, 2024, in Douglas County District Court.