Electrician accused of attacking customer will not appear at trial

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A quick peek at our FOX 13 camera in a Hillsborough courtroom is about all the public will see of defendant Adam Millan.

Millan's attorney told the judge the jury won't see him at all.

Millan has decided to skip his own trial. It's unusual but it does happen. was working as an electrician.  

Prosecutors will show a picture of Millan during the trial so witnesses can point him out. But it's what he's accused of doing that will be hard to forget.

On May 18, 2016, prosecutors say Millan was working as an electrician and viciously attacked a customer at her Riverview home. They say, at knifepoint, he tried to rape and kill her.

She was saved by a neighbor, explains Hillsborough Sheriff spokeswoman Cristal Nunez.

"He tried to put electrical tape over her mouth. He was unsuccessful. Luckily her screams were so loud that some witnesses nearby noticed what was going on," said Nunez.

Now the woman, who survived with a broken nose, bruised face, and a knee injury,  is set to testify against him next week. But it may not be the only time she takes the stand.

There is also a civil case pending against Big Daddy Electric, the business that hired Millan.

In her lawsuit, the woman claims Big Daddy Electric was reckless and negligent and put her in extreme danger by allowing Millan to work unsupervised. A simple background check would have shown Millan is a career criminal who served a 10-year sentence for manslaughter in New York.

Last year, FOX 13 asked the owner's father, Dan Allen whether a background check was ever done on Millan.

"You'll have to ask him. I don't know," said Allen.

A jury will probably want to know the same thing. A trial date has not been set for the civil case. The criminal case against Millan starts Monday.