Darius Miles: Ex-Alabama basketball player pleads not guilty to capital murder charge in death of Jamea Harris
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA: A former basketball player for the University of Alabama who is accused of providing the gun used in a fatal shooting near campus has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder charge filed against him. On Monday, April 3, Darius Miles, 21, of Washington, DC, entered the plea as per the court documents.
Miles, a former junior reserve forward for the Crimson Tide, and Michael Lynn Davis, 21, of Charles County, Maryland, are both charged with capital murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris in January. The ordeal took place on the Strip, a student-oriented business district of bars and restaurants near the Tuscaloosa campus.
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According to The Guardian, Captain Jack Kennedy of Tuscaloosa Police said on January 15, “At this time, it appears that the only motive was a minor altercation that these individuals had with the victim as they were out on The Strip.” Investigators said Harris was sitting in the passenger seat of a car when she was struck by a bullet, which brings a capital murder charge in Alabama. According to a Twitter post, the shooting took place because of a “minor argument".
Video of Darius Miles leaving the Tuscaloosa County Jail after being charged with capital murder following an early morning fatal shooting on the Strip in Tuscaloosa pic.twitter.com/zbBdQ0VKhb
— Ben Flanagan (@ThisBenFlanagan) January 15, 2023
The brutal murder Darius Miles is accused of participating in allegedly happened because of a “minor argument.”
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) January 16, 2023
Who are you surrounding yourself with that minor arguments allegedly turn into murder and possibly getting strapped into the electric chair! pic.twitter.com/yIxIZcPmjM
Who is Michael Lynn Davis?
According to court documents filed in Tuscaloosa, Michael Lynn Davis is accused of firing the gun that killed the young woman. He is set to be arraigned next month.
Miles had a prior criminal record
Miles was a reserve on the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide team. Recently, Alabama announced that he was out for the season due to an ankle injury he suffered. For the past two-and-a-half seasons, Miles was mostly seen as a bench player for Alabama. He appeared in 53 games. Following his arrest, Miles was removed from the university’s team. Investigators wrote in a court document that Miles admitted to providing the handgun immediately before the shooting.
Besides, he was arrested at Lambert-St Louis International Airport for carrying a loaded gun in August 2011. He was reportedly indicted for insurance fraud in the Southern District of New York for allegedly defrauding the NBA's health and welfare benefit plan back in October 2021.
In an earlier court hearing, defense lawyers suggested that the two were reacting defensively following an altercation with a young man in Harris' group. Both are held without bond.
