Shivangi Sinha
In May 2020, residents of Eastmont Hills in Oakland, California, reported a shooting. By the time police arrived, they found Miles Armstead lying outside the house that he owned and had once lived in. The months leading up to his death had not been easy for him, and he had moved away from the neighborhood for the peace and safety of his family. However, by the time emergency responders reached the scene, he had already passed away. Netflix’s ‘Worst Neighbor Ever: Fear Thy Neighbor’ delves into the case and provides the details that ultimately led to the capture of the perpetrator.
Miles Armstead Was Killed Shortly After Moving His Family to a New Apartment
Miles Armstead was the only son of Bonnie Bailer. He grew up in New York and developed the candidness and openness that the city trains one for. He could strike up a conversation with just about anyone and came across as a friendly and gentle man who had a strong sense of right and wrong. He completed his schooling at a boarding school, and by the early 2000s, he was working at Wells Fargo. He remained there for more than a decade, and it was in 2013 that he met Melina for the first time. The two immediately hit it off. Melina was a single mother to her daughter, Isabella, while Miles had three kids of his own from a previous relationship.
By August 2017, Miles and Melina decided to purchase a house in the Eastmont Hills neighborhood of Oakland, California. It was not considered the best part of the area, but Miles saw it as an investment and planned to eventually trade it for a larger home. His blended family settled into the house he personally worked on and improved with his own hands. In October 2017, he and Melina traveled to Las Vegas and got married. They became friendly with their neighbors and were excited about this new chapter in their lives. However, within a few years, the family moved out and put the property up for sale. On May 1, 2020, Miles returned to the house to work on it and make it more appealing to potential buyers. While there, he was shot multiple times outside the home and was pronounced dead by the time responders arrived at the scene.
Miles Armstead’s Killer Had Once Been a Harmless Neighbor
The 911 call had been placed by Miles Armstead’s former neighbors, and they immediately identified the alleged perpetrator as a young man named Jamal Thomas. He was the son of an elderly couple who had lived right next door to the house Miles had purchased in 2017. In fact, he knew the family well and was saddened to see them leave after the property’s owner served them with an eviction notice in August 2019. A few days later, their younger son, Jamal, was allegedly seen squatting in the house. When the owner asked whether that was true, Miles confirmed that Jamal was still there, and that is when the chain of events truly began.
In the episode, Melina said that on November 28, 2019, Jamal knocked on their door and complained about their dog. According to her, Miles asked him to leave when the conversation became heated. In the days and weeks that followed, Melina stated that their doors and windows were repeatedly banged on throughout the night, leaving the family increasingly concerned. She said that surveillance footage allegedly showed Jamal behind the activity. In December 2019, she claimed that Jamal allegedly threw a rock through a window, and she narrowly avoided being seriously injured. Melina further added that, out of concern for his family’s safety, Miles began spending entire nights outside the house with a baseball bat and their dog.
Miles Armstead’s Killer Was Arrested for Making Threats Against Him
Miles filed a restraining order against Jamal, but things did not calm down for the family. There were several occasions when the couple called the police, but the person they suspected was never found at the scene when officers arrived. On February 26, 2020, after Miles and Jamal became involved in a confrontation, police responded in time and Jamal was arrested on charges of making criminal or terrorist threats. On February 28, Jamal was released. Melina later accused the police of letting him go without informing them. On April 6, 2020, Jamal allegedly threw another brick at the house, and the couple decided to cover all of their windows with plywood, though they still did not feel safe enough.
Eventually, Miles and Melina decided that moving was the best option for their family and rented an apartment where they relocated together. Their house in Eastmont Hills was put up for sale, and Miles began working on it to refurbish the property. On May 1, 2020, he was outside doing landscaping work when Jamal allegedly approached him and shot him multiple times. The young man fled the scene, but neighbors were able to identify him. Police later arrested him at the Holiday Motel on MacArthur and charged him with first-degree murder.
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Jamal Thomas is Incarcerated at a Prison in Nevada Today
Jamal Thomas’s trial began in July 2024, and he was convicted of first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon due to his prior convictions, as well as a gun enhancement charge. In April 2025, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 28 years and 8 months. Jamal is now incarcerated at High Desert State Prison in Susanville, California. He will be eligible for parole in 2040.
