State Takes Execution Off the Table for Michael Davis for 2023 Tuscaloosa Strip Killing

UPDATE (5/5/2025): Jury selection for Davis's trial began Monday, May 5. Tuscaloosa Patch reports 72 potential jurors were selected and will receive a pre-trial questionnaire to assess the impact of pre-trial publicity on the case.

Prosecutors in Tuscaloosa County will no longer seek the death penalty for Michael "Buzz" Davis, the co-defendant and lifelong friend of former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles.

As the Thread previously reported, the suspect's scheduled early May capital murder jury trial was in jeopardy after a hearing last week. Chief Assistant District Attorney Paula Whitley told Davis and his defense attorneys that they were still considering the death penalty as a possible sentence if he is convicted of capital murder.

The option was only on the table for Davis, not Darius Miles, but Davis' attorney John Robbins told Judge Daniel Pruet that if execution was still on the table, he could not be ready for a May jury trial.

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On Thursday, Whitley emailed the Tuscaloosa Thread and said the state prosecutors have agreed to no longer seek that sentencing option even if Davis is convicted.

"The State of Alabama will not be seeking the death penalty in the Michael Davis case," Whitley said. "The state will be ready to proceed with the trial on May 5th, I am not aware of any reason for delay."

Michael Davis and Darius Miles have both been held at the Tuscaloosa County Jail since they were arrested in January 2023, and both are charged with capital murder.

Michael Davis allegedly shot and killed 23-year-old Jamea Harris during a gunfight with her boyfriend, Cedric Johnson, after they had a brief altercation on the Strip. Darius Miles was not involved in the violence but provided Davis with the gun that allegedly fired the fatal shot.

Two judges have denied them bond after a series of hearings.

Their cases are being tried separately and progressing toward trials.

For more coverage of the cases as they continue to develop, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.