Darius Miles was once a bench player for Nate Oats’ Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team. At the start of the 2022-23 season, Miles was part of a team that went on to make a run to the Sweet 16.
Miles wasn’t on the team when the Crimson Tide entered March Madness, though. In fact, he was released from the program in January of 2023 after being allegedly involved in and charged with capital murder in the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris in January.
On Tuesday, four months after Harris’ death, Miles pleaded not guilty to his alleged offenses, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN).
Miles was removed from the team after his arrest, but the shadow of the event hung over Alabama all season. He, alongside a man named Michael Lynn Davis, one of his childhood friends, was charged with the death of Harris, a 23-year-old mother.
Per investigators, Harris was sitting in the passenger seat of a car when she was struck by a bullet. Authorities have alleged that Davis fired that gun and Miles had admitted to providing the handgun that fired the shot, thus he was charged with “aiding and abetting.” According to reports, Alabama star forward Brandon Miller — a likely top-three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft — brought the gun to Miles after the former texted him to do so.
Miller was not charged with a crime and, as mentioned, is expected to soon be in the NBA. When asked back in February why he was not charged with a crime, Tuscaloosa chief deputy D.A. Paula Whitley told AL.com that there was nothing by law that Miller could be charged with.
Miles and Davis were indicted on the capital murder charges by a Tuscaloosa, Alabama County grand jury in mid-March. They’ve remained in jail since the initial arrest and charges, and are expected to have separate trials.
Capital murder is a Class A felony in Alabama and carries with it a jail sentence that can range from 10 years to life in prison.
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