The family of Valarie Clark Miller found a “measure of closure” this week, according to her husband John Miller.

“We feel really good,” John told The Herald Journal. “Valarie’s name, as far as I’m concerned, has been cleared.”

On Monday, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson issued a letter acknowledging that DPS had inadequately investigated a complaint in 1990 that Valarie had been sexually assaulted by a then-Utah Highway Patrol trooper in 1968.

“My Department has interviewed scores of witnesses over several months. Based on that thorough investigation, I have concluded that the factual allegations you raise in your Notice of Claim and subsequent communications about DPS actions in 1990 rest on a foundation of extensive and disturbing evidence,” Anderson wrote in the letter provided to The Herald Journal.

The letter also conveyed “deep regret” to the family “for emotional distress suffered by Mrs. Miller, Mr. Miller, and the family as a result of the actions described in your Notice of Claim.” It also states there appears to be “no legal recourse,” and DPS will review current policies.

During a press conference at the Utah State Bar office in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Paul Cassell, a professor at the University of Utah College of Law and former U.S. District Court judge, said the case was “really like nothing else I’ve ever heard of in the crime victim’s rights field.”

Such a letter from DPS was also said to be unheard of.

“I think it’s unprecedented in the history of Utah, maybe unprecedented in the annals of justice for victims’ rights,” said Mike Anderson, a retired FBI agent hired by the family investigate the case.

The Notice of Claim

According to the Notice of Claim provided during the news conference, Valarie was “raped at knife point” by a UHP trooper and another man while a third man watched. The abuse continued for months, the notice states.

Richard Lambert, a retired assistant U.S. Attorney hired as part of the family’s investigative team, said the first assault occurred in a barn when Valarie was 13 years old.

He told The Herald Journal the men would have been in their mid-30s at the time.

In 1990, according to the notice, Valarie and John reported the incidents to DPS, and the then-chief internal affairs investigator said the trooper would be subject to a polygraph and psychological examinations.

Valarie was later told the trooper had denied the allegations and passed a polygraph test. But, according to the notice, the Chief Internal Affairs Investigator “lied” and the trooper never participated in the polygraph or the examinations.

According to Cassell, the notice alleges “the state had lied and intentionally made false representations to John and Valarie designed to discourage Valarie’s pursuit of justice.”

“As a result of the conduct set forth above and the trauma she experienced as a result, Valarie suffered crippling mental distress and anxiety that devastated her life and ultimately led to her untimely death. The conduct at issue also devastated Valarie’s family resulting in extreme hardship,” the notice states.

A step toward closure

“History is the process of searching for the truth and why things happen. Honesty makes better history. Why? The truth matters, and the truth sets us free,” Miller said.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Miller outlined four objectives for the case: clearing Valarie’s name, bringing a “measure of justice” to the men involved, bringing closure to the family and encouraging victims going forward. He told The Herald Journal that Valarie was “a woman with great courage” who never deviated, yet “lies” and “distortions” about her were spread in the community of Clarkston, a northern Utah town near the Idaho border.

“Believe me, those lies are still being told,” Miller said. “That’s the story that exists there today. So hopefully, Denzel and the family can hold their heads high and know that none of that was true.”

Denzel Clark, Valarie’s father, made the trip to Salt Lake City for Tuesday’s conference at the age of 92. Denzel was the mayor of Clarkston from 1978 through 1985.

“It’s fulfilled a dream in my heart and a prayer that Valarie would be vindicated from the malicious lies that had been told,” Clark said.

Valarie died in 2017. Two of the three men alleged to be involved in the initial attack have also died. The man who allegedly watched the initial attack is currently serving a prison sentence for child sexual abuse crimes not directly related to this case.

Miller told The Herald Journal there would not be any future litigation.

“No, we’re done,” Miller said. “And really, our intent isn’t really about legal recourse. It’s more about finding the facts, getting the state to come forward and apologize for what happened ... and move forward.”