Phoenix - A newly released ex-convict who
stabbed a teenager to death at an Arizona convenience store on
Independence Day, later telling police he had felt threatened by
the boy's rap music, was charged with first-degree murder on
Tuesday.
The stabbing of 17-year-old Elijah Al-Amin in the Phoenix
suburb of Peoria recalled the killing three years earlier of a
black Florida teenager who was shot by white man during an
argument over his music. Al-Amin was described by the New York
Times as multiracial.
"This case is still under investigation and prosecutors are
committed to pursuing the appropriate charges in this case to
secure justice for the victim and his family," the Maricopa
County Attorney's Office said in announcing the charges against
Michael Paul Adams.
Adams, 27, could be eligible for a sentence of life in
prison or the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree
murder in the case.
It was not immediately clear if Adams, who was released from
prison two days before the stabbing, had retained a criminal
defense attorney. It was not disclosed what crime he had
committed previously.
He was scheduled to make an initial court appearance on July
15.
According to a probable cause statement filed by a Peoria
Police detective, a witness at the Circle K convenience store
said that Adams walked up behind Al-Amin as he stood by a soda
machine, grabbed him by the neck and stabbed him without
provocation.
17-year-old Elijah Al-Amin was killed at suburban convenience store, allegedly by Michael Adams, who has said he felt threatened by the boy's rap music. Picture: Serina Rides via AP/African News Agency (ANA)
A second witness said that he saw the suspect slit Al-Amin's
throat, the police detective said in his report. Surveillance
footage captured the attack, after which the teen can be seen
running from the store, bleeding profusely, before he collapses.
Al-Amin later died at a local hospital. Doctors said his
injuries included a severed jugular vein and carotid artery as
well as separate puncture wounds.
According to the statement, Adams confessed to stabbing
Al-Amin and said that he had done so because the victim's rap
music made him feel unsafe.
Maricopa County prosecutors said that under Arizona law the
stabbing could be considered a hate crime for sentencing
purposes if Adams were convicted, which would be decided later.