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New Orleans street performer arrested in 1974 Jacksonville murder

Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office booking photo of Johnie Miller (left) and Project Cold Case photo of Freddie Farah (right)

NEW ORLEANS – A street performer well known in New Orleans as Uncle Louie is in custody, accused of fatally shooting a Jacksonville store clerk during a robbery almost 43 years ago.

The New Orleans Advocate reports 60-year-old Johnie Lewis Miller was arrested Tuesday on a murder warrant. 

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Court records indicate Miller is wanted for the May 22, 1974, slaying of 34-year-old Freddie Farah, who was working at the Grand Park Food Store on Kings Road when he was shot to death.

Miller was linked to the slaying after evidence matched a profile stored in an FBI database.

Court records at the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office show Miller is being held without bond. He refused to waive extradition to Florida during his first court hearing on Wednesday. and is awaiting a June 26 extradition hearing.

Miller is an icon in the French Quarter, where he's performed as a human statue for more than two decades.

People frequently take pictures with him and his miniature stuffed dog, Little Willie.


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