Family Of Jamea Harris Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Brandon Miller, Murder Suspects

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa Patch has confirmed that a wrongful death lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court against two suspects accused of capital murder and former Alabama basketball player Brandon Miller following the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris on Jan. 15 in Tuscaloosa.

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Harris's mother, the plaintiff in the lawsuit filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama's Western Division, is represented by Birmingham attorneys Kirby Farris and Malia D. Tartt of Farris, Riley & Pitt, along with Mintrel Martin of The Martin Law Firm.

Declara Raietta Heard claims the negligent and wanton actions of the three men on the morning of the shooting resulted in her daughter's death.

Patch has previously reported that former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and his childhood friend Michael Lynn Davis were arrested and charged with capital murder in the hours following the incident on Grace Street that left the young Birmingham mother dead.

Miles is accused of knowingly providing Davis his legally owned handgun that was used shortly thereafter during a shootout with Harris's boyfriend Cedric Johnson, who shot Davis twice during the exchange.

Miles is currently awaiting a ruling in his pre-trial immunity hearing, while Davis is set to have his immunity hearing in December. The capital murder cases against the two men are being tried separately.

The lawsuit filed on Friday calls for a judge to grant a jury trial to award damages to the victim's family in an amount exceeding $75,000.

ALSO READ: Court Transcripts Bring Self-Defense Case For Darius Miles Into Focus

It has been noted in court that Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, did indeed transport to the eventual scene on Grace Street the gun owned by Miles and used by Davis in the shooting.

However, Miller reportedly cooperated with investigators in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and has not been named a suspect in any crime as of the publication of this story.

Miller is currently preparing for his rookie season with the Hornets after signing a rookie deal worth nearly $50 million.

Miller's cooperation included providing police with the dash camera in his vehicle at the time of the shooting, which captured a widely reported conversation between Miles and Davis regarding the gun.

Miller's vehicle was reportedly struck during the shooting and he was accompanied by a University of Alabama basketball manager in the front seat who has also not been named as a suspect in the case.

Defense attorneys for both Davis and Miles insist that their clients were acting in self-defense after Miles told police he saw Jamea Harris pass a gun to Johnson while sitting in her Jeep during a verbal altercation between their two groups a few minutes prior to the shooting.

Patch reported a little more than a month after the shooting when attorney Jim Standridge, representing Miller, explained his client's role in the events of that morning, saying Miller had played in Alabama's blowout win of LSU in the hours before the shooting and was later asked by Miles for a ride to The Strip area to go to Club 1225.

Standridge explained that Miles brought his handgun, which is legal without a permit under the new Alabama law that went into effect on Jan. 1, before saying the gun was then left in the back seat of Miller's Dodge Charger that night.

Standridge claimed at the time that Miller never saw the handgun or handled it.

"Further, it is our understanding that the weapon was concealed under some clothing in the backseat of his car," Standridge said in February, before saying Miller did not go inside the nightclub on The Strip with Miles, Davis and Tide basketball player Jaden Bradley, opting instead to leave and go to a nearby restaurant to eat.

"At approximately midnight, Mr. Miles began asking Brandon to come pick him up so that they could leave and go to another location and join friends," he said of the widely documented text message exchange. "Brandon advised that he would be along later, and, approximately one hour later, Brandon began to leave the restaurant to pick up Mr. Miles, but first had to give another companion a ride home."

Miller's attorney then said the freshman forward arrived to pick up Miles, before Miles and the boyfriend of Harris "apparently exchanged words."

"Without Brandon knowing any of this context, and as Brandon was already on the way to pick up Mr. Miles, Mr. Miles texted Brandon and asked him to bring him his firearm," Standridge said. "Brandon subsequently arrived at the scene to pick up Mr. Miles. Brandon never got out of his vehicle or interacted with anyone in Ms. Harris’ party ... Brandon never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange with Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur."

The next action in the capital murder cases against Davis and Miles is expected sometime in the coming months.

As Patch previously reported, the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office has until Oct. 25 to file a response to the pre-trial immunity brief filed by the Turner Law Group on behalf of Darius Miles at the conclusion of the hearings over possible evidence of self-defense.

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