How can Darius Miles be punished after being indicted for murdering Jamea Harris? Understanding the implications of capital murder

Former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was indicted by a grand jury on capital murder charges on Friday. Michael Davis, who reportedly shot the gun that killed Jamea Harris, was also indicted on capital murder charges. The charges were made by a Tuscaloosa Country grand jury on Friday. Miles was removed from the Alabama basketball team on January 15.

The incident took place on January 15 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Darius Miles' attorney released a statement on the decision, which was published by ESPN:

"While we are not surprised by the indictment based on the reality that a person accused of a crime is not allowed to present any evidence to the Grand Jury, we are nonetheless disappointed that the Government presented this case to the Grand Jury as Capital Murder considering the evidence uncovered during our investigation and the obvious weaknesses in the Government's case brought to light during the preliminary hearing."

Alabama capital murder charges

Capital murder is deemed the most serious of the violent crimes in Alabama. If found guilty, Darius Miles will be charged with a Class A felony, facing up to 10 years to a life sentence.

Capital murder charges can also result in the death penalty. According to Alabama.gov:

"The defendant is charged with capital murder. The law states that the intentional murder of a person committed by or through the use of a deadly weapon while the victim is in a vehicle is capital murder. A person commits an intentional murder if he causes the death of another person and, in performing the act or acts that cause the death of that person, he intends to kill that person (or another person)."

Alabama is the only state that still has the death penalty that doesn't require non-unanimous death penalty sentencing. A person who is found guilty will face the death penalty if a minimum of 10 of the 12 jurors are in favor of that degree of punishment. In other states, all 12 jurors must agree to the death penalty.

Alabama freshman forward Brandon Miller, who transported the alleged murder weapon in his car, is not facing any chargers. His attorney released a statement that said Miller was unaware the gun, which belongs to Miles, was in the backseat of Miller's car. He has cooperated with the investigation, according to the police and his attorney.

Miller is expected to be drafted early in the NBA draft on June 22.

Miles had played six games for Alabama this season.