By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HAMILTON - A suspect was indicted Wednesday in the highly publicized homicide of Paul Wesley Brown, whose face still appears on posters that dot city storefronts, offering a $25,000 reward for information about his two-year-old slaying.

But police Wednesday said that reward offering did not appear to be a factor that helped lead to the indictment of Richard W. "Rick" Miller, 20, of Hamilton. He could face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder and aggravated robbery.

Investigating the crime was a challenge, police have said, because rain had washed away much of the evidence by the time children found Brown, 33, face-down in Two Mile Creek on March 27, 2002. He had been stabbed more than two dozen times.

Authorities haven't revealed what information led to the indictment or whether the two men knew one other. Brown's relatives, who pushed for continued publicity about the need for more information to help solve the crime, said they are simply grateful that a suspect is facing charges.

Hamilton Police Detective James Cifuentes served Miller, who has worked as a cook and a carpet layer, with the indictment at the Butler County Jail, where he was being held on an unrelated assault charge.

Authorities said dogged detective work, media attention and the determination of Brown's family all helped lead to Wednesday's indictment.

Police Chief Neil Ferdelman said his officers interviewed hundreds of people and collected more than 80 items of evidence.

Brown was last seen in a strip-mall parking lot in the 700 block of Northwest Washington Boulevard. His brother dropped him off and a surveillance camera showed Brown at a Meijer store around 10 p.m. on March 23, 2002.

Miller is expected to appear Friday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Email jmorse@enquirer.com