Viswa Vanapalli
The murder of Bill Stout in Montana in June 2007 brought up difficult questions regarding his past. While the 52-year-old was married to Anne Stout, he had an affair with someone, leading to issues in his relationship with his wife. After Bill was found murdered, several people suspected Barbara Miller, the woman Bill had an affair with, of being involved. NBC News’ ‘Dateline: The Box’ chronicles how the authorities ruled Barbara out as a suspect and also features an interview with her, where she shared her side of the story. So, if you’re wondering what happened to her since then, here’s what we know!
Who Was Barbara Miller?
Barbara Miller first met Bill Stout when she was in Salinas, California. At the time, it was just after high school, and a mutual friend introduced him to her. Regarding their relationship, Barbara later said, “He was my boyfriend. We lived together for probably more than six months, and then we broke up. Before the last time I saw him, it was in the early 70s. We didn’t have any contact between the time we broke up and the last time I saw him.”
As per the show, in the time after that, Barbara got married and had children of her own, just like Bill. But by 2005, she was divorced and was attending her sister’s wedding in Arkansas. There, she met Bill, who was also in town to attend the same event. It soon became a happy reunion, with the two spending the whole weekend together. She said, “He knew everything about my life. It was like he had been keeping up on me. He talked about his marriage and told me he was living in a separate part of the house than his wife.”
Therefore, the two began an affair that went on for about a month, and they would exchange letters, emails, and phone calls. According to Barbara, Bill told her that he would divorce Anne. The two even made plans to get married, and he had made arrangements for Barbara to visit Kalispell, Montana. However, she said that Bill ended things over an email about a month into the relationship. While Barbara was angry, she chose not to take it further and ceased all contact with Bill. But Anne didn’t seem to let it go. Barbara said that an upset Anne called her several times.
At one point, Anne even contacted Barbara’s boss regarding the affair. While Barbara said Anne threatened her with a restraining order, the latter denied it later on. Sometime after Anne found out about the affair, Bill’s family and friends began to receive letters and emails that were purportedly from Barbara. The letters talked about Bill getting her pregnant and had invites to a barbecue the two were supposedly hosting. However, the investigators later traced all of them back to Anne, who was sending them out. Eventually, Anne was found guilty of killing Bill, and Barbara was cleared of any wrongdoing.
How Did Barbara Miller Die?
During her testimony, Barbara opened up about how things turned out, saying, “Of course, I’m sorry for what happened. I wished Bill and I would’ve just been friends that weekend, and I’m sorry for whatever role I played in his death. He was a very nice person, and he didn’t deserve this.” Barbara went on to marry Robbie Robertson and led a fulfilling life of her own. She raised five children and passed away on January 26, 2021, in Arkansas, at the age of 64. Before her death, Barbara worked as a registered nurse at a hospital in Fort Smith, Arkansas. However, her cause of death has not been made public.
Read More: How Did Bill Stout Die?
