Four former members of the Alabama men's basketball program, including current Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, are on the witness list for the May 5 capital murder trial of Michael Davis in Tuscaloosa, according to court records.
The former players -- Miller, Jaden Bradley and Nick Pringle -- as well as former student manager Cooper Lee could be asked to testify. None of the men on the witness list have been accused of wrongdoing in the case. They could be served subpoenas and then be expected to appear in court. The trial will take place in Alabama's Sixth Circuit Court with Judge Daniel Pruet presiding.
Davis is alleged to have shot and killed Jamea Harris in an altercation on The Strip, an area of bars and restaurants close to the Alabama campus, on Jan. 15, 2023. Davis and former Crimson Tide basketball player Darius Miles were arrested and indicted. Alabama prosecutors charged Miles with "aiding and abetting" Davis by allegedly providing the weapon, according to the charge sheet. The charges became capital charges because Harris was shot and killed while in a vehicle.
During a February 2023 hearing related to the shooting, a police investigator testified that Miller, then a freshman, had brought the handgun to Miles the night of the shooting and that Miles had texted Miller and asked him to do so. Miller's car windshield was struck by bullets during the exchange of gunfire, according to police. He and Bradley, who also was on the scene that night, were not charged.
Miller's then-attorney, Jim Standridge, said his client had "no knowledge of any intent to use the weapon" and that Miller never touched the gun. Standridge retired last year.
Miller, 22, was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He suffered a season-ending torn ligament in his right wrist in January.
Prosecutors previously had declined to pursue the death penalty in Miles' case, which is expected to go to trial later this year. On Thursday, Tuscaloosa County Assistant District Attorney Paula Whitley told ESPN the death penalty has also been removed in Davis' case.
Whitley declined to elaborate on the decision other than to say generally in capital cases, her office will look at multiple factors, including trying "to be consistent and look at what other cases in which the death penalty has been sought."
Davis' attorney, John Robbins, confirmed to ESPN the death penalty decision. He also told ESPN he was not surprised by any of the names on the Alacourt website as potential witnesses in the case.
Whitley said a subpoena would be prepared for each potential witness. She declined to answer whether any of the four would be asked to testify but confirmed their identities.
According to court records, none of the four have been officially served with subpoenas yet.
Messages left with Miller's agent and attorney were not returned to ESPN. Same with the University of Arizona, where Bradley now plays. A message left for Lee was not immediately returned. Pringle, who recently transferred from South Carolina to Arkansas, declined to comment Friday through his representative, Donnell Bruce.
If a witness is out of state, there are different procedures needed to ensure a subpoena is served, typically working with a court in that jurisdiction, said Gar Blume, a Tuscaloosa-based criminal defense attorney with no ties to either the Miles or Davis cases.
Blume told ESPN the state could tell potential witnesses three things: Be on call, be there when the trial starts or don't worry about showing up at all. That decision is not typically announced or necessarily reported to the defense, Blume said.
Blume said witnesses usually are expected to appear in person unless both sides agree to allow a witness to appear via remote video. Blume said defense counsel "will almost never agree to that because of the defendant's right to confrontation."
Blume said witnesses for the prosecution are typically expected to show up in court the first day of a trial. Prosecutors can keep a witness there throughout the trial, but they aren't always allowed inside the courtroom.
"You're not allowed to sit in the courtroom because one witness is not allowed to hear what other witnesses say," Blume said. "Now, there are a couple of exceptions to that."
A defendant can always be in the courtroom. Same with the primary investigator and a representative of the victim or victim's family. Decarla Heard, Harris' mother, is listed as one of the witnesses. Potential experts also can be in the courtroom for testimony in case they need to refute or rebut other expert testimony.
If a witness is called by the defense, Blume said, attorneys often will ask them to be on call and available to show up within 24 hours -- in part because prosecutors present their case first. He said defense attorneys don't want potential witnesses to have to wait for days.
But if asked to appear, Blume said, a witness might spend days waiting to see if he or she is needed.
"You have to be there," Blume said. "Until they get around to calling you."
Last month, a wrongful death civil suit filed by Heard in 2023 against Miller, Davis and Miles was settled. As part of the settlement, a trust fund was to be established for Harris' child.
ESPN's Elizabeth Merrill contributed to this report.