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Steven Miller murder: Background on men accused of C.B.S. abduction, killing

At least two of the men accused in the assault, abduction and killing of Steven Miller have criminal histories that have made headlines in the last several years.

2 out of 3 arrested were sentenced in 2015 for HMP chapel attack, riot; 4th suspect sought

Calvin Kenny, 26, seen in a black muscle shirt, beat Kenny Green during a riot and attack at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in February 2014. Paul Connolly, 35, seen in a white T-shirt, struck Green with a piece of church pew. (CBC)

At least two of the men accused in the assault, abduction and killing of Steven Miller have criminal histories that have made headlines in the last several years.

Miller, 25, was violently abducted from a home in Seal Cove, Conception Bay South, during the pre-dawn hours on July 30 by three armed intruders. The assailants then set fire to the home.

Miller's body was discovered at the end of a driveway several kilometres away in the Bayview Heights neighbourhood, just after 8 a.m.

Paul Connolly, 35

Paul Connolly, 35, is one of four men accused of abducting and killing Steven Miller on July 30. Police say Connolly was found just after 5 a.m., unconscious with stab wounds, on Trails End Drive in Paradise. (CBC)

Connolly has a 33-page criminal record that includes convictions for his role in a now-infamous attack and riot in the chapel at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's in February 2014.

Connolly used a piece of church pew to hit convicted killer Kenny Green in the head during the violent, blood-soaked assault.

Police confirmed on Friday that Connolly was the man found unconscious with multiple stab wounds on Trails End Drive in Paradise, hours before Miller's body was discovered.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary did not say if it has any suspects in the attack on Connolly.

HMP riot video WARNING: VIOLENT CONTENT

10 years ago
Duration 1:49
An excerpt of a riot at HMP shown Feb. 9. The video was shown in court today

Connolly also made headlines in 2007, when he broke out of the Waterford Hospital while being escorted from one area of the hospital to another.

He was at the hospital for an assessment after being arrested for theft. Connolly later turned himself in.

On July 13, Connolly was charged with assaulting a woman with an axe and damaging her property.

Calvin Kenny, 25

Calvin Kenny, 25, is led out of the St. John's lockup Friday to appear in provincial court on charges of first-degree murder, arson, robbery and forcible confinement. (CBC)

Kenny is originally from Newfoundland's Southern Shore and had recently been released from federal prison.

He was sentenced in May 2015 to 14 months in prison, minus time served, for assaulting Green in that same chapel riot at HMP.

At the time of his sentencing, Kenny was already serving time at the Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia for a separate incident.

He has past convictions for assault, mischief, trafficking and assaulting a peace officer, among other things. 

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary posted on its Facebook page on July 31 that Calvin Kenny had been arrested for parole violations. He was charged with the killing of Steven Miller several days later. (Facebook)

Kenny's lawyer told the court that his client was the "new kid" at the prison when the chapel riot broke out, and explained that Kenny's legal troubles began after he suffered a foot injury years prior to the chapel attack.

The RNC asked for the public's help in locating Kenny the weekend Miller was killed, and indicated he was wanted for breaching his parole conditions.

He was arrested on Sunday. At that time, there was no mention of Kenny's connection to Miller's violent death. However, the RNC confirm he was a person of interest at the time of his arrest.

Both Kenny and Connolly are associated with a self-branded gang formed in HMP called "St. John's Mob."

Kyle Morgan, 19

Kyle Morgan, 19, is the youngest man accused in the death of Steven Miller. Sources say this is Morgan's first brush with the law. (CBC)

Sources tell CBC News that Kyle Morgan, of Paradise, held a job as a life guard prior to being charged with first-degree murder.

He does not have a criminal record.

A person by the name of Kyle Morgan posted an online classifieds ad on NL Classifieds on July 18 looking for a .22 semi-automatic firearm, nearly two weeks before Steven Miller was abducted and killed. (NL Classifieds )

A person by the name of Kyle Morgan, in Paradise, posted on online classifieds ad on July 18 — nearly two weeks prior to Miller's death — looking for a .22 semi-automatic firearm.

It's unknown if the online poster is the same Morgan who has been charged in connection with Miller's homicide. 

Chesley John Lucas, a.k.a. C.J. Clarke, 23

Police are asking the public for assistance in locating Chesley John Lucas, also known as C.J. Clarke. He is wanted as a fourth suspect in the Steven Miller homicide investigation. (RNC)

Early Monday morning, the RNC issued a news release pertaining to a fourth suspect in the Miller homicide investigation.

A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Lucas, who also goes by C.J. Clarke, on charges of first-degree murder, arson, robbery and forcible confinement.

Police warn that Lucas is armed and dangerous, and left the province Saturday on the Argentia ferry headed to Sydney, N.S.

Lucas has a provincial court appearance scheduled for later this month on unrelated charges of mischief to property, failure to appear in court, failure to comply with an appearance notice and failure to comply with condition of an undertaking or recognizance.

He has past convictions for impaired driving, failure to attend court, assault and failure to comply with sentence. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ariana Kelland

Investigative reporter

Ariana Kelland is a reporter with the CBC Newfoundland and Labrador bureau in St. John's. She is working as a member of CBC's Atlantic Investigative Unit. Email: ariana.kelland@cbc.ca