Both Sides Rest After Michael “Buzz” Davis Testifies in Capital Murder Trial

The capital murder trial of Michael "Buzz" Davis, is wrapping up after both state prosecutors and his defense attorneys rested their cases Friday morning.

On the final day of the evidentiary presentation, the defendant himself - the lifelong friend of former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles - took the stand against the advice of his lead attorney, John Robbins.

After a break for lunch on Friday, the state and the defense will come back this afternoon for closing statements, which will then kick off jury deliberations.

If a verdict can't be reached before 5 p.m. or so, the jurors will break for the weekend and resume deliberations on Monday morning.

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The trial is over the January 2023 death of Jamea Harris, a 23-year-old mother who was shot and killed on the Tuscaloosa Strip when Davis exchanged gunfire with her boyfriend, Cedric Johnson.

Davis was armed with a pistol he'd just gotten from Darius Miles, and both men were charged with capital murder in the aftermath of the killing. They have been held without bond since then.

Catch up with various angles of the case here.

Lead prosecutor Paula Whitley started Friday off by resting the state's case - their last witnesses took the stand on Thursday, including NBA star Brandon Miller and a trio of law enforcement officers.

Wednesday's star witnesses were the other primary participant in this fatal gunfight, Cedric Johnson, and former Alabama basketball player Jaden Bradley.

Defense attorney John Robbins only called two witnesses to the stand - an employee at a local car dealership to testify about the inner workings of a Jeep Wrangler, and Michael Davis himself.

It can be unusual for a murder suspect to testify at their own trial because they cannot be compelled to do so - they have the right to remain silent without any negative implication to jurors. It also opens them to cross-examination from the state's prosecutors, which can be a dangerous place to find yourself under oath to tell the whole truth.

Even so, Michael Davis took the stand in an attempt to convince the jury that he was scared for himself and others when he armed himself with his friend's semi-automatic pistol and exchanged shots with Cedric Johnson.

He testified that after partying at Twelve 25 with Darius Miles and Jaden Bradley, he walked onto University Boulevard and danced for a few seconds because he was feeling good and good music was playing.

Cedric Johnson was in the back seat of a Jeep Wrangler and the two had a verbal exchange before Miles and Bradley led Davis away from the scene.

Johnson testified on Wednesday that Davis told him "I'm Buzz and I whack people," but Davis denied that from the stand on Friday. He said he challenged Johnson to a physical fight, but Johnson didn't get out of the Jeep and Davis was led away by his friends.

In his Friday testimony, Davis told the jury he saw firsthand the moment when Jamea Harris slid a Taurus Raging Judge revolver from her place in the front passenger seat to Cedric Johnson in the back.

Davis testified that he was in fear for his life and the life of his friends, and Darius Miles, who also saw the handoff, texted teammate Brandon Miller, who was already headed to the Strip to pick Miles up, and asked him to bring a gun that Miles left in his car to the scene.

Around the time the weapon arrived, Johnson, who then driving the Jeep, turned it around and began to approach Davis with the headlights off and the driver's side window down.

Davis said Miles gave him the gun, confirmed it was loaded and ready to fire, and he stepped around a corner, hugging the wall of a nearby apartment building, thinking he and his friends would soon be victims of a drive-by shooting.

"I didn't want him to just shoot me," Davis said. "I wanted to get him before he got me or my friends."

Instead, he stayed behind the building until the Jeep passed him on Grace Street, then emerged from "the cut" as he described it and approached the driver's side window.

He said he saw Cedric Johnson holding the revolver and brought his own gun up to bear, but was shot in his shoulder before he fired the semi-automatic he was holding.

He fired at least eight times, and one of those rounds hit Jamea Harris in her head, severing both her spine and carotid artery. Davis testified he never intended to kill her - just to shoot Cedric Johnson.

Under cross-examination, prosecutor Paula Whitley noted that Davis had ample opportunity to leave the scene with Brandon Miller or Jaden Bradley, but instead chose to arm himself and go seek out the Jeep as it drove down Grace Street.

She also reiterated that Davis lied to all the police officers he spoke to after the shooting, and Davis said he was scared of police.

"I'm just scared of the police," Davis said. "I don't know how it is down here in Alabama, but I don't seek out the police."

She accused Michael Davis of hiding the gun he used in the shooting, but Davis said he gave it back to Darius Miles right after the incident. The state has testified it was found hidden, wrapped in a towel and in a drawer in Jaden Quinerly's closet.

After Whitley wrapped up her cross-examination, the defense also rested its case. Now the matter will move to closing arguments and jury deliberations.

For ongoing updates from the murder trial as it wraps up, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.