Film & TV5 min(s) read
Published 13:14 03 Jul 2026 GMT
Netflix's new docuseries, Worst Neighbor Ever, has revealed the haunting warning a man gave police before killing his neighbor.
Episode three of the true crime show, Fear Thy Neighbor, tells the story of Jamal 'JT' Thomas and the months-long campaign of harassment that ultimately ended with the murder of expectant dad Miles Armstead in Oakland, California.
Before carrying out the fatal shooting, Thomas had already told responding officers exactly what he intended to do.
Miles and his wife, Melina, had moved into California's Eastmont Hills neighborhood, hoping to raise their growing family in a peaceful community.
The couple, who were expecting their first child together, initially got along with Thomas, who lived next door with his parents.
However, after the Thomas family was evicted from the property in August 2019, JT continued returning to the home and began squatting there despite new occupants living inside.
According to the documentary, his behavior quickly went from repeatedly knocking on the Armsteads' door late at night to smashing windows with rocks and bricks, shouting abuse, and making violent threats.
Melina said their windows were smashed with rocks or bricks more than 20 times during the ordeal, forcing them to board them up for protection.
The harassment became so relentless that Miles spent his nights sitting outside the house with the family's Boxer dog and a baseball bat while his wife and children slept inside.
Eventually, the couple got a restraining order requiring Thomas to stay at least 100 yards away from them and their home.
Despite the restraining order, another confrontation broke out between Miles and JT in February 2020, prompting police to respond.
Bodycam footage shown in Worst Neighbor Ever captures one officer appearing to downplay the seriousness of the situation.
The Oakland Police Department officer can be heard shouting: "Grown ass men can't listen to simple instructions."
"Acting like 12-year-old girls, both of you guys," he added while directing Thomas into the back of a patrol car.
As he was being arrested, Thomas made a chilling prediction: "I'm gonna kill him next time."
He then repeated the threat, telling officers: "Guess what guys, I'll be right back. I'm gonna kill [Miles] next time."
Thomas was arrested for making criminal threats, and the Armstead family believed the nightmare was finally over.
Instead, he was released from custody just 48 hours later.
The Armsteads were never informed that Thomas was back on the streets.
Civil rights attorney Adante Pointer, who appears in the documentary, said Thomas had been on "the highest level of supervised probation" when he was arrested in February 2020 and should have remained in custody.
His probation had begun in 2012 and was due to continue until 2022.
Fearing for their safety, Miles and Melina eventually made the hard decision to move into an apartment, where they finally felt some relief from the harassment.
But in May 2020, when Miles returned to the neighborhood to run an errand, Thomas was waiting for him with a gun.
He shot Miles dead in the street.
At the time of the shooting, Melina was heavily pregnant.
She gave birth to their daughter, Ava, two months after Miles' death. Miles is also survived by the three children he shared with his first wife.
In the documentary, the widow tearfully recalled sensing something was wrong before learning what had happened.
"I was sitting at my desk, working, and never in my life have I felt a feeling the way I had felt," she said.
"It was like for a quick moment he was there, then I felt him, so close. And [then] he felt, like, so far. And then I just started balling, crying."
"It was the weirdest experience. I just had this, like, panic. I called, and I kept calling.
"He wasn't a texter but he always picked up my phone calls, and he didn't pick up.
"So I literally waddle all the way back to the bedroom, putting clothes on, and I'm like, 'I have to go to the house, I have to find him, something's wrong'."
When she arrived near their former home, she saw police tape, a coroner's van, and her husband's car, immediately realizing the worst had happened.
In July 2024, Thomas was found guilty of first-degree murder. He was also convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon with prior convictions.
He was sentenced in April 2025 to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 28 years and eight months, where he remains incarcerated.
You can watch all episodes of Worst Neighbor Ever on Netflix.
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