Convicted shooter in Tuscaloosa case sentenced to life in prison
Michael Lynn Davis convicted and sentenced to life for Tuscaloosa shooting.
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Kai Spears New York Times Defamation Case
Alabama jury awarded $9.25 million in defamation damages to college basketball player Kai Spears against The New York Times for misidentifying him in a January 2023 shooting coverage. This marks the Times' first defamation loss in the US in over 50 years.
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2026-08-21 to 2026-11-10 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 21 Aug, 13:53 UTC
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What happened
Michael Lynn Davis convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Tuscaloosa shooting
Michael Lynn Davis was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the January 2023 shooting in Tuscaloosa that killed 23-year-old Jamea Harris. Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles was also charged with capital murder in connection with Harris' death.
New York Times published incorrect report linking Kai Spears to fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa
The New York Times published a report by reporter Billy Witz on March 15, 2023, that incorrectly identified Kai Spears as a passenger in a car at the scene of a January 2023 shooting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The shooting resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris. Witz based the identification on an anonymous source he characterized as a 'high-level person, professional.' The Times did not publish a correction until June 2023, after Spears had filed his defamation lawsuit.
New York Times corrects article identifying wrong person at shooting scene
The New York Times issued an editor's note in June 2023 correcting its March 15, 2023 article about the Tuscaloosa shooting. The note clarified that the person present at the scene was student manager Cooper Lee, not Kai Spears. The correction stated that the Times 'erroneously identified' Spears based on information from a person familiar with the case, and that after Spears' father and Alabama's athletic director denied his presence, the Times reviewed its reporting but did not initially conclude a change was warranted.
The New York Times' first defamation loss in the United States in more than 50 years
The $9.25 million verdict against The New York Times marks the newspaper's first defamation loss in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years. A Times spokesperson stated the newspaper was 'disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake' and that the newspaper believes 'the verdict and award of damages are contrary to law and not supported by the evidence' and is reviewing legal options.
Alabama jury awards $9.25 million in defamation damages to Kai Spears against The New York Times
An eight-person jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama awarded $9.25 million in damages to Kai Spears after finding that The New York Times defamed him. The verdict came after a nine-day trial. Spears, an 18-year-old freshman walk-on basketball player for the University of Alabama, sued the Times in 2023 over a March 2023 article that incorrectly identified him as a passenger in a vehicle at the scene of a January 2023 fatal shooting in Tuscaloosa.
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Alabama jury orders New York Times to pay $9.25 million in defamation case
Alabama jury awards Kai Spears $9.25 million in defamation against the New York Times over shooting misidentification.