In the early morning hours of March 25, 2018, the life of 21-year-old Cortez Lamont Miller was tragically cut short in his hometown of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Miller, a new father to a baby girl, was at a house party on LaVette Street when violence erupted, leaving him and another man, 29-year-old Michael Johnson, with fatal gunshot wounds. Despite being rushed from the scene, both men succumbed to their injuries while en route to the hospital.
The investigation into the double homicide
quickly zeroed in on a suspect: 40-year-old Antwan Tamon 'Tank' Mims. Authorities identified Mims as the individual responsible for the shooting and warned that he should be considered armed and dangerous. It was believed that Mims was attempting to flee the area, possibly heading to Indianapolis. A multi-agency effort involving local police, the Michigan State Police, the sheriff's department, and the FBI was launched to apprehend him. The search for Mims gained national attention when he was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was eventually captured in Georgia in August 2018.
Antwan Mims was brought back to Michigan to stand trial for the murders of Cortez Miller and Michael Johnson. During the trial in February 2019, the prosecution presented evidence and witness testimony indicating that Mims was the aggressor, shooting both victims in the back of the head. Mims took the stand in his own defense, claiming that Miller and Johnson were the aggressors and that he had tried to avoid a confrontation with them at the party. However, the jury was not swayed by his testimony.
After deliberations, the jury found Antwan Mims guilty on all charges: two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and two felony weapons counts. In March 2019, he was sentenced to two terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole. An appeal of his conviction was later denied in December 2020, with the court finding no significant errors in the trial and affirming that the evidence supported the conviction. The verdict brought a sense of justice to the families of Cortez Miller and Michael Johnson, though their community continues to feel the loss of two young lives.
