A capital murder charge against 23-year-old Tamiya Krishaun Thomas was dismissed on May 22, 2025, after Judge William Bell ruled there wasn’t sufficient evidence linking her to the fatal shooting of James Leon Craig.
The shooting occurred during a domestic dispute on January 5, 2025, when Craig, 40, was shot from outside his residence. Thomas’s defense team successfully argued that the evidence presented wasn’t enough to sustain the capital murder charge, citing a documented history of domestic violence between Craig and Thomas’s mother.
The case highlighted ongoing tensions between Craig and the Thomas family, with defense attorneys emphasizing multiple instances where Craig had allegedly threatened both Tamiya and her mother. These threats, they argued, supported their client’s claim of self-defense in the incident that led to Craig’s death.
Prosecutors had initially built their case on the premise that Thomas and her mother had entered Craig’s home without permission, characterizing the incident as a break-in rather than an act of self-defense. Nevertheless, they were unable to present sufficient evidence to support this theory, leading to Judge Bell’s decision to dismiss the charge.
The investigation disclosed that shots were fired from outside the residence during what appeared to be an escalating domestic dispute. While investigators recovered shell casings from the scene, they couldn’t definitively link them to any specific shooter, creating a significant gap in the prosecution’s case.
Despite the dismissal of charges, prosecutors retain the option to present the case to a grand jury for potential re-indictment if new evidence emerges. This legal avenue remains open as investigators continue to gather and analyze evidence related to the shooting.
Thomas, who’d been held in custody since January, was released following the dismissal of charges. Her defense team expressed satisfaction with Judge Bell’s ruling, noting that the decision aligned with their position that the shooting occurred within the context of self-defense against a documented aggressor.
The case has drawn attention to the intricacies surrounding domestic violence incidents and self-defense claims in the criminal justice system. While the immediate legal proceedings have concluded with the dismissal of charges, the investigation remains active as authorities continue to examine the circumstances surrounding Craig’s death.
