A judge in Savannah, Georgia, sentenced Randall Miller, former director of the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider, to two years in prison and eight years probation stemming from the unfortunate death of camera assistant Sarah Jones, which occurred on set last year. Miller, who originally entered a plea of "not guilty," changed it to "guilty" today, March 9, resulting in a reduced sentence for him and dropped charges for his wife Jody Savin, who was involved with the movie as a producer.
"No one won anything today," Sarah's father, Richard Jones, said. "It's just a great deal of loss for everyone involved. I hesitate to use the word 'happy.' We are content with the terms of the agreement."
While filming a dream sequence in Georgia, Jones died after a train came barreling through where the crew was working. Her family, in its search for justice, filed civil lawsuits against Miller, Savin, their production company, and others the following May. Allman and the movie's distributor, Open Road Films, were dropped from the lawsuits. The rest of the defendants settled in November.
Miller was convicted of criminal trespass and involuntary manslaughter since the crew filmed on the train tracks without permission. According to Deadline, executive producer Jay Sederish received probation.
Miller and Savin claimed innocence following the accident.
"In the weeks and months that follow, when the true facts of the events are revealed, people will know that this was not a crime. We never had criminal intent; we would never knowingly or intentionally put anybody's safety at risk," the joint statement. "Our hearts are broken, our spirits are broken. We have young children and can only imagine with immense sadness the heartbreak of losing a child. We are praying for Sarah's family."
Actor William Hurt was on set the day Jones died as Allman. He left the film following the tragedy.
