Ex-Alabama player Darius Miles, friend Michael Davis officially indicted on capital murder charges
Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and Michael Davis were officially indicted on capital murder charges Friday, according to ESPN.
Miles and Davis were arrested Jan. 15. A Tuscaloosa County grand jury officially indicted them on a murder charge for the death of Jamea Harris on Friday. Miles was removed from the Alabama basketball team the day he was arrested, and the cases were sent to a grand jury after a preliminary hearing last month.
Miles and Davis, along with others, reportedly left a bar in Tuscaloosa late Jan. 14, when an altercation broke out between Davis and Harris’ boyfriend, Cedric Johnson, near Harris’ vehicle. Miles said he returned to get Davis and end the verbal altercation but that he saw a gun being passed inside the car as he was doing so. Johnson has said that wasn’t true and that it was food being passed around.
Miles then texted Alabama star Brandon Miller, asking Miller to bring him his gun. Miller arrived just before 1:45 a.m.
Minutes later, police said Davis — after receiving the gun from Miles — walked to the driver’s side of Harris’ car and started shooting. Johnson returned fire, and Harris was shot and killed.
Both Miles and Davis have been held in Tuscaloosa County Jail since they were arrested and were denied bail. They are expected to be tried separately. Miles admitted to providing Davis the gun used in the fatal shooting, which led to a capital murder charge for “aiding and abetting.”
The "capital" designation was added due to the victim being killed in a vehicle. The charge carries the possibility of a death sentence in Alabama.
"While we are not surprised by the indictment based on the reality that a person accused of a crime is not allowed to present any evidence to the grand jury, we are nonetheless disappointed that the Government presented this case to the grand jury as capital murder considering the evidence uncovered during our investigation and the obvious weaknesses in the Government's case brought to light during the preliminary hearing," Miles’ lawyer, Mary Turner, said in a statement to ESPN.
Brandon Miller declines to comment at SEC tournament
Miller has not been charged with a crime for his role in the incident, and he has continued to play for the Crimson Tide in the months since the fatal shooting.
The SEC Player of the Year and projected lottery pick has largely stayed quiet about the shooting, too, and declined to talk about the charges Friday in Nashville, despite being asked repeatedly following the team's 72-49 win over Mississippi State.
Miller asked about two men he delivered a gun to being indicted on capital murder charges today.
He no-comments again. Clear he’s going to stick with that on all things related to that case. https://t.co/hdfaHKzQMp— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) March 10, 2023
He is cooperating in the investigation, his attorney stated. His attorney contends that Miller was already on his way to pick up Miles when Miles texted him asking for his gun. The gun was allegedly already in the backseat of the car, and Miller said he didn’t know it was there and that he never touched the gun. Miller’s car was also hit with gunfire in the shooting.
Alabama coach Nate Oats said Miller was simply in the "wrong spot at the wrong time."
"I never lose sight of the fact that a family has lost one of their loved ones that night," Miller said Wednesday via ESPN. "This whole situation is just really heartbreaking. Respectfully, that's all I'm going to be able to say on that."
