Ex-Pa. trooper gets 3 to 23 months in pregnant wife's death

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A former Pennsylvania state trooper who caused the deaths of his pregnant wife and the child she was carrying in what he characterized as a gun-cleaning accident at their home has been sentenced to three to 23 months in the county jail.

Thirty-seven-year-old Joseph Paul Miller pleaded guilty last year to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the March 2014 deaths of 34-year-old JoAnna Miller and the baby girl, who was delivered but died soon after.

Miller choked back sobs as he told the Montgomery County judge that he not only lost his wife but also his best friend.

Prosecutor Steven Latzer argued for prison time, calling Miller's conduct "unbelievably negligent and reckless." Defense attorney Tim Wooward called him "a stand-up guy" who feels pain and remorse for the shooting.