Worst Neighbor Ever: What did Jamal 'JT' Thomas do to Miles Armstead, and where is he now?
Miles and Melina thought they'd found their dream home until they ended up being terrorised by a their neighbour's son
On July 1, Netflix dropped its latest gripping true crime docuseries, in the form of Worst Neighbor Ever.
The four-part series is the third in the streamer's 'Worst Ever' franchise, arriving behind the wildly popular Worst Roommate Ever and Worst Ex Ever.
Each episode is dedicated to a different crime, and if you've ever had a dispute with a neighbour, it'll be nothing compared to some of the jaw dropping felonies carried out by what are absolutely the worst people to ever turn up in the house next-door.
Episode 3 looks at what happened to Melina and Miles when they moved into their dream neighbourhood. We look at what their neighbour from hell, Jamal Thomas, did to the couple, and where he is now.
What did Jamal Thomas do?
When Miles and Melina moved into their Eastmont Hills neighbourhood in Oakland, California in 2017, they thought they'd arrived at the perfect place to live.
The couple brought with them Miles' three children from a previous relationship, and Melina's daughter from hers. However, Miles' mother didn't believe the couple had moved to the safest area, despite their happiness at where they had found a home.
The couple that lived next-door were Patricia and Walter Thomas, who'd rented the house for over 30 years and raised their two sons there, Walter Jr, and Jamal, also known as JT.
JT lived in the garage behind his parents' home. He struck up a friendship with Miles, and would often do odd jobs for him around his garden.
In 2019, Patricia told Melina that the people who owned her home were being evicted, and she and the family were moving out after living there for so many years.
However, the people who brought the house intended to renovate it and sell it on, but there was a delay in them starting the work and it ended up empty for a few months. In that time, JT began squatting there.
Soon afterwards, JT began knocking on Miles and Melina's door, seemingly "under the influence," to make various complaints about noise and their dog.
JT then began a campaign of harassment against Miles and Melina, banging on their door every night any time between midnight and sunrise.
The couple had a panic alarm fitted, and one day, JT went from banging on the door to smashing in a window, causing Melina to hit the panic button while the children took cover in the basement.
In January 2020, Melina had discovered she was pregnant, and JT ramped up his campaign to persistently ring their doorbell, and was convinced it was Miles harassing him, instead of the other way round.
The police advised Miles and Melina to get a restraining order, which they did, but it was of little help. One time they did arrest JT, he can ominously be heard in the documentary via police bodycam footage saying he'd "be back," and "I'm going to kill next time."
Because of these threats, he was supposed to be held in jail until the case could be investigated and action taken, but because of covid restrictions, police weren't keeping people in jail for cases such as JT's and he was freed.
He returned to Miles and Melina's home "every other night" to smash windows. It got to the point that the person coming to replace the glass asked if Melina really wanted the windows fixed, because JT was only going to return to smash them again.
The police said the couple's calls about JT were low priority due to rising crime in the area. Melina was preparing to welcome their new baby at this point - it wasn't long before they decided enough was enough and they moved out.
However, Miles and some friends were doing some repairs to their old house ready for it to be sold, and returned to his former home to finish off some painting. While he was there, JT arrived and shot him dead.
Melina was working from home at the time, and believes she 'felt' the moment her husband left this life, and immediately burst into tears knowing something terrible had happened.
On July 29, two months after Miles died, Melina gave birth to their baby, a girl she named Ava. Miles' three children moved back in with their biological mother, and Melina now lives alone with her two daughters.
Where is Jamal 'JT' Thomas now?
Jamal Thomas was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to 28.8 years to life in prison, where he currently remains.
Due to the extent of his crimes and the ongoing harassment the family had suffered at his hands that police experienced delays in responding to, a lawyer for the family sought compensation.
Miles' family eventually received a $2.4 million settlement. The police and probation departments involved in the case declined to be interviewed for the documentary.
