Louisiana man found guilty of killing his girlfriend’s ex in front of 2 of her children

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (TCN) -- A 27-year-old man has been convicted of killing his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend nearly two years ago.

The 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced that on March 20, a jury found Jamiel Miller guilty of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of 26-year-old Tavante Williamson. The defendant is set to be sentenced on April 22 and faces a mandatory life sentence.

According to prosecutors, Slidell Police responded to a report of a shooting at an apartment complex on the night of June 25, 2023. Officers found Williamson unconscious on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced deceased.

Further investigation revealed Miller reportedly shot Williamson in the parking lot of the apartment complex. One of the witnesses, Miller’s girlfriend, was reportedly Williamson’s ex-girlfriend, and she and the victim shared three children.

According to the district attorney’s office, Miller’s girlfriend told investigators that Williamson had called her "wanting her to come get two of their children from him." Miller reportedly drove her to Williamson’s home, where Miller stayed in the car while his girlfriend went to talk to Williamson.

The woman reportedly went back to the parking lot with Williamson and two of their kids. As they approached the car, Williamson and his ex-girlfriend allegedly got into an argument. The two children reportedly got into the back seat of the vehicle, and a fight ensued. Miller then reportedly fired a gun several times and shot Williamson in the chest before fleeing the scene on foot.

According to prosecutors, the defense argued that Miller acted in self-defense when he shot Williamson "due to previous altercations." Miller testified and reportedly said that before shooting Williamson, he told the victim to "stay away from him, but Williamson still moved closer to him."

Miller initially claimed Williamson didn’t know he had a gun, but he later said Williamson noticed the gun and said, "Are you going to hit me with that?" Miller testified that he shot the gun to "scare" the victim and didn’t intend to kill him. After the incident, he reportedly admitted that he said, "I told y’all I wasn’t playing."

Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Dover "zeroed in on Miller’s claim he only intended to scare Williamson" and "asked Miller if he realized he had just confessed to second-degree murder while on the witness stand."

In order to claim self-defense, Miller would have to "reasonably believe he was in imminent danger of losing his life or receiving great bodily harm and that killing Williamson was necessary to save himself from that danger." Miller reportedly confessed that he didn’t think he would lose his life or suffer great bodily harm.

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