Petition Launches to Free Jailed Former Alabama Player Darius Miles

More than three years after former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was arrested in connection with the shooting death of a young mother, supporters are calling for his release as he continues to wait for his trial.

Miles was charged with capital murder following the January 2023 shooting that killed 23-year-old Jamea Harris. Prosecutors allege that Miles provided a handgun to his childhood friend, Michael Lynn Davis, who then used the weapon during a confrontation that ended with Harris being fatally shot.

According to reports, Davis was involved in an exchange of gunfire with Harris’ boyfriend, Cedric Johnson. During the incident, Davis allegedly fired into the couple’s vehicle, striking Harris as she sat in the front passenger seat of her Jeep.

Davis was also charged with capital murder. In May 2025, a jury convicted him, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Miles, however, remains behind bars awaiting his own day in court.

That has prompted his aunt, Melissa Miles, to launch a Change.org petition titled, “Bring Darius Miles Home: End Unjust Pretrial Detention.” The petition argues that Miles has been incarcerated since 2023 despite never having been convicted of a crime. At the time of publication, it had collected roughly 1,300 verified signatures.

Melissa Miles has also launched a campaign called “25 BY 25,” which aims to collect 25,000 signatures and secure her nephew’s release before his 25th birthday on Oct. 6, 2026.

“Darius’s prolonged detention is not an isolated incident but a reflection of systemic issues that plague our justice system,” Melissa Miles wrote in the petition.

The campaign argues that extended pretrial detention can punish defendants before a jury has ever determined their guilt or innocence. Miles still faces a serious capital murder charge, and prosecutors maintain their case against him, but his supporters say that after more than three years in jail, the question is no longer just about the allegations against him.

It is also about whether anyone accused of a crime should have to wait that long for their chance to defend themselves in court.