TUSCALOOSA, AL — Jurors heard illuminating testimony on Tuesday from former Crimson Tide basketball star Brandon Miller that shed new light on the events leading up to the 2023 shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.
Miller's video deposition was played for the jury on the seventh day of the defamation trial against the New York Times Co. following a lawsuit by former Alabama basketball player Kai Spears, who the newspaper erroneously reported was in the vehicle with Miller at the time of the shooting.
As Patch previously reported, Miller was cleared as a suspect in the separate criminal cases that saw former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles charged with capital murder for allegedly providing the gun used in the shooting by his co-defendant and childhood friend Michael Lynn Davis.
Miller testified from the witness stand last year during the capital murder trial for Davis, where he confirmed that the gun had been in the back seat of his Dodge Charger when he and Crimson Tide basketball manager Cooper Lee parked on Grace Street in the moments before shots rang out.
A text message exchange showing Miles asking Miller to bring him the handgun following a verbal altercation on the Strip between Davis and Harris' boyfriend has also been the subject of much debate in the years following the deadly shooting.
Miller's own dash camera video from that morning, which was admitted as evidence in the criminal cases and now in the civil defamation trial against the Times, recorded the now-infamous conversation between Miles and Davis prior to the gun being retrieved from the back seat.
In the brief exchange, the jury heard Miles telling Davis where the gun was and that there was a round in the chamber.
ALSO READ: Settlement Reached In Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Murder Suspects, Brandon Miller
Davis was found guilty of capital murder after a weeklong trial and short deliberation by a Tuscaloosa County jury, before being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Miles has yet to see his case go to trial as his legal team awaits a ruling on an appeal of a request for the judge presiding over the case to recuse himself.
While the imposing Miller was not physically present on Tuesday, his video testimony under oath seemed to captivate the courtroom and provided a wealth of new details about the events of Jan. 14-15, 2023.
The eventual No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Miller testified Tuesday that he never talked with Spears about the morning of the shooting in the aftermath or to Spears about his subsequent defamation lawsuit against the New York Times.
Testifying during his deposition for the newspaper, he also spoke to the widely discussed dash camera videos that have been crucial evidence in both the criminal and civil cases.
Miller said he had the dash cameras installed in his Dodge Charger by CarTronics in Nashville to "protect myself."
He then explained how the cameras would turn on the second he started the car but admitted he didn't have any real working understanding of the technology because he worried that he would mess it up if he tinkered with the system and would have to take it back to Tennessee for more work.
Miller went on to say that while he didn't often hang out with Spears outside of basketball, the two met the summer before their debut seasons at The Capstone because they were part of the same freshman class.
Miller also testified to his close friendship with teammate Jaden Bradley, who was his roommate in Bryant Hall and someone with whom he had many of the same classes.
In a telling piece of testimony, Miller said that while he didn't drink alcohol, he was "probably the only one" on the team who didn't indulge during his lone season in Tuscaloosa — a season that saw the Crimson Tide earns its first No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
When questioned by the New York Times legal counsel for the video deposition, Miller said he also knew Davis, who was a well-known personality around the team because of his close relationship with Miles and a regular fixture in the Crimson Tide locker room.
Talk then turned to how his evening developed on Jan. 14, 2023, which began with Miller dropping off Miles downtown after meeting him at his apartment at the Vie at University Downs.
Miller testified that he knew Miles owned and regularly carried a green and black handgun in his waistband prior to the shooting — a fact he said was known by others on the team.
He also recalled how several members of the team were "pre-gaming" at the Vie following Alabama's 106-66 blowout over LSU in Coleman Coliseum that afternoon.
Miller said this group included former Tide players Jaden Quinerly, Jahvon Quinerly, Nick Pringle, Noah Gurley and Dom Welch.
He also said Miles and Davis were at the apartment before several of the players made their way to the Tuscaloosa Strip.
It's worth noting here that the handgun used by Davis in the deadly shooting was eventually recovered from a drawer in Jaden Quinerly's bedroom when investigators with the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit responded to the apartment in the moments after Miles called 911 to report his friend had been shot.
Police body camera video offered as evidence during Davis' trial showed the convicted murderer talking with investigators in the aforementioned apartment as paramedics prepped him for treatment before he was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center.
Miller testified that Spears was not at The Vie for the "pre-gaming" session in the early evening hours of Jan. 14, 2023.
As the night wore on, Miller said the initial plan was for the team to celebrate its win at Twelve25 on The Strip — a bar, restaurant and club co-owned by Jay Jarrett.
Bradley, who transferred to Arizona the following season, allegedly drove Davis to Twelve25 and Miller said he never saw Miles leave his handgun in his Dodge Charger when his teammate rode with him to downtown Tuscaloosa.
Miller also testified there was no discussion about the gun before Miles and Miller parted ways.
Surveillance video taken from across the street at the Houndstooth Sports Bar showed Miller and other players standing outside of Twelve25 as they tried to get in touch with Jarrett to bypass the long line — a regular practice for Crimson Tide basketball players, according to Miller.
As Patch previously reported, former Alabama basketball manager Cooper Lee testified in a video deposition that Tide basketball players would regularly rent out the VIP section at Twelve25.
But around 11:47 p.m., Miller said he gave up on getting into the crowded club and instead "drove around," before eventually meeting up with Spears around 12:31 a.m., a little more than an hour before the shooting.
Miller then said he and Spears made the short drive to Moe's Original BBQ on University Boulevard, where the two men — who were both under the age of 21 — were walked past bouncers and into the bar by Crimson Tide basketball manager Cooper Lee.
This is where testimony for the jury ended Tuesday, as both sides requested time with the judge and out of the presence of jurors to discuss certain aspects of Miller's deposition.
Tuesday's proceedings began with the legal team for the New York Times concluding its cross examination of Spears by keying in on the term "involvement" as it related to his connection with the fatal shooting.
Working to impeach Spears' testimony, attorneys for the Times also requested U.S. District Court Judge Annemarie Carney Axon issue a judgement in favor of the defense after attorneys argued that Spears' legal team had failed to establish any evidence of actual malice or to prove any damages had been suffered by the former Alabama basketball walk-on who earned a scholarship during his sophomore season before transferring to Marshall University.
Indeed, the Times' legal team spent much of Tuesday morning working to undermine Spears' claims, which included playing video for the jury that showed Spears high-fiving fans as the team entered the tunnel following its 2023 NCAA Tournament opening win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Birmingham.
Following a lengthy conference period where both sides presented their arguments, Judge Axon ultimately denied the motion and the trial was allowed to move forward.
The New York Times will continue to make its case on Wednesday in the Richard Shelby Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Tuscaloosa Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.