KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A nine-term state legislator under investigation for allegedly taking bribes killed himself with a shotgun blast to the face, police said.
Police spokesman Foster Arnett said Rep. Ted Ray Miller, a Democrat from Knoxville and chairman of the House State and Local Government Committee, was found dead in a bedroom at his home Monday afternoon. His body was discovered by his wife, Carole, when she returned from work.
'We are treating it as a suicide,' Arnett said. 'It is a suicide.'
Medical examiner Dr. Randall Pedigo said Miller, 55, died from a single blast from a 12-gauge shotgun 'in the close proximity of the head.'
Arnett said a note was found 'but we are not releasing the contents at this time.'
Miller reportedly left behind two notes -- one to his wife and another to McWherter withdrawing an unannounced resignation from the General Assembly, possibly to preserve insurance and other benefits for his family.
A grand jury looking into allegations that Miller took bribes totaling nearly $30,000 was to reconvene Tuesday.
Gov. Ned Ray McWherter called Miller 'my very good friend' and expressed sorrow at his death.
'The reasons for this tragedy are not clear and may never be fully known but I do know Ted Ray Miller was my very good friend for more than 20 years,' McWherter said. 'My heart and my sympathies go out to his wife, Carole, his family and all those who loved him.'
The grand jury investigating Miller heard testimony last week from Knoxville lawyer Richard Beeler, an attorney for the Knox County Solid Waste Authority.
Beeler said he contacted the FBI and told agents that Miller had approached him asking for money in exchange for agreeing not to introduce legislation blocking the county's efforts to build a $135 million garbage incinerator.
Beeler said Miller accepted six payments of $5,000 each.
Beeler, who was working with the FBI in an investigation of government corruption in Tennessee, reportedly wore a recording device to a meeting with Miller in March at a Knoxville hotel lounge.
Rep. Charles Severance, R-Knoxville, said Miller had been 'under a terrible strain; more than he could handle.'
'It's a sad day for his family, a sad day for the General Assembly and a sad day for Knox County,' said Severance, who along with other members of the Knoxville delegation, were called to testify before a grand jury concerning the allegations against Miller.
Miller's attorney in the investigation, Herb Moncier, said he was 'deeply saddened and devastated' by Miller's death.
'I'm in a state of shock,' Moncier said.
