Brandon Miller testimony details emerge in Tuscaloosa capital murder trial for 2023 shooting

Former Alabama men’s basketball star Brandon Miller was back in Tuscaloosa on Thursday to testify in the capital murder trial of Michael Lynn Davis, the alleged shooter in the 2023 death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris near The Strip.

Davis is charged alongside former Crimson Tide player Darius Miles in the Jan. 15, 2023 murder. The two capital murder cases are being tried separately, with Miles’ trial date yet to be determined, according to The Patch’s Ryan Phillips.

The 22-year-old Miller, who is in his second season with the Charlotte Hornets after being the No. 2 overall pick in 2023 NBA Draft, took the witness stand Thursday to recount his memories of what ultimately led to the shocking 2023 murder of Harris, a young mother from Birmingham. Miller confirmed he drove the car carrying Miles’ handgun that was allegedly used by Davis in the murder, but Miller was never charged in the case.

According to Phillips, Miller began his testimony describing how he and his fellow Crimson Tide teammates were on The Strip celebrating Alabama’s 106-66 home win over LSU on Jan. 14, 2023 in which Miller scored a game-high 31 points. Miller testified he drove Miles to The Strip in his Dodge Charger while Davis road with former Tide teammate Jaden Bradley, per Phillips, before Miller left the group to go to Moe’s Original BBQ in downtown Tuscaloosa with Alabama walk-on Kai Spears.

Brandon Miller testimony sheds light on what led to deadly 2023 shooting on The Strip

Tuscaloosa Chief Assistant Distric Attorney Paula Whiley then went over multiple text messages between Miller and Miles that took place just prior to the shooting, according to Phillips. After some general back-and-forth, Miller eventually told Miles he was en route to pick him up from The Strip at approximately 1:38 am CT, to which Miles wrote back: “I need my joint a n—-rl just got da fakin.”

Miles was allegedly referring to a verbal altercation between Davis and Cedric Johnson, Harris’ boyfriend who shot Davis twice in an exchange of gunfire that killed Harris later that night. Johnson testified on Tuesday that Davis was the aggressor and shot first, per Phillips.

Dashcam footage from Miller’s car was also shown to the jury Thursday morning, according to Phillips, including audio of Miles telling Davis that his gun was in Miller’s car and then responding in the affirmative that there was a bullet in the chamber. Per Phillips’ account of Thursday’s testimony, Miller confirmed Davis was the person caught on video standing in front of his car firing a handgun, allegedly in the direction of Harris’ Jeep Wrangler in which Johnson was in the front passenger seat.

Miller testified his car was struck twice through the front windshield and also sustained damaged when he was side-swiped by Harris’ Jeep as the two vehicles attempted to flee.

Later, under cross-examination, Miller told Davis defense attorney John Robbins that Miles’ use of “fakin” was slang for someone making a threat, according to Phillips, affirming Davis and Miles felt threatened by Johnson prior to the shooting.

Report: Brandon Miller, Darius Miles wrongful death lawsuit settled

The wrongful death lawsuit against former Alabama players Brandon Miller and Darius Miles has been settled, AL.com’s Matt Stahl and Nick Kelly reported. As part of the settlement, the suit will be dropped with prejudice and a trust fund will be set up to benefit the child of Jamea Jonae Harris – the woman who was killed during the January 2023 incident.

Miller and Miles were defendants in the suit, as was Michael “Buzz” Davis. All parties agreed to dismiss the suit with prejudice, which means the plaintiff cannot file the same claim again. U.S. district judge Anna M. Manasco approved terms of the settlement, as well as the dismissal, on Monday, according to AL.com. Specific terms were not revealed.

Darius Miles was removed from campus and the Alabama basketball team as a result of the incident, which took place in the early morning hours of Jan. 15, 2023. Police from Tuscaloosa as well as the University of Alabama were dispatched around 1:45 a.m. that morning. They were sent to the Walk of Champions at Bryant-Denny Stadium. There, they found Harris dead inside a vehicle, per Capt. Jack Kennedy of Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes, as they later deduced that the shooting had taken place off of University Boulevard.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.