James Leggett, the man accused of murdering his ex-partner Michaela Carter in 2021, has died in prison while awaiting trial, as confirmed by the Tennessee Department of Correction. The 29-year-old was incarcerated at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution where he died on July 4, "His cause of death is pending official determination by the medical examiner," AOL News reported. Before his arrest linked to Carter's death, Leggett was on probation for a previous robbery conviction, but following the charges in connection with the shooting, he was placed in prison to serve the remainder of that suspended sentence.
In a tragic series of events leading up to Carter's death, she had sought and received an order of protection against Leggett after alleging he attacked her with a glass liquor bottle in July 2021. However, despite repeated attempts by Carter to utilize the protection order, including showing police evidence of threatening messages from Leggett, the police did not arrest him, attributing to a lack of sufficient evidence. "Officers told her they still didn't have enough evidence to arrest her husband, despite a no-contact order that prohibited communication of any kind including emails or other messages." NewsChannel 5 reported. It was after the police departed without detaining Leggett that he purportedly kicked in Carter's door, shooting her fatally.
The aftermath of the incident saw Carter's mother, Kimberly Jones-Mbuyi, file a lawsuit against the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), accusing them of failing to protect her daughter. The result was a settlement amounting to $250,000 and a pledge from MNPD to revamp some of its policies, as disclosed by FOX 17 News. As part of the policy changes, MNPD is to ensure that body cameras are active whenever officers are providing victims of domestic violence with information on shelters and counseling, include rapid alerts for violators of protection orders.
Leggett faced numerous charges related to Carter's death, ranging from first-degree murder to felony weapon offenses. The audio of Carter's last moments, as well as the flurry of threatening messages from Leggett, served as part of the harrowing evidence against him. Though his trial will not occur due to his death, the legal discussions around the case are set to continue, with a discussion scheduled for Thursday, per NewsChannel 5. The circumstances surrounding Leggett's death in custody and the ongoing conversations about the MNPD's handling of domestic violence cases linger.
