#JusticeforElijah. Arizona man Michael Adams accused of stabbing Elijah Al-Amin to death because he was playing rap music claims mental illness but social media responds.
A white Arizona man accused of stabbing a black 17-year-old to death in cold blooded murder for listening to rap music has provoked outrage in response to the suspect’s mental illness defense.
Michael Adams, 27, was charged with the first-degree premeditated murder of Elijah Al-Amin, whose throat was slashed July 4 at a convenience store in Peoria, the Arizona Republic reported.
Deputies said Adams slit the boy’s throat and stabbed him with a pocketknife after he heard him play rap music in his vehicle.
The teen ran out of the store before collapsing and being brought to a local hospital, where he later died, authorities said.
Defending the slaying, Adams told authorities he decided to be ‘proactive rather than reactive’ because people who listened to the genre have attacked him before the man claimed.
The slaying follows Adams having been free for two days from the Arizona State Prison Complex in Yuma when he allegedly hacked Al-Amin to death.
His lawyer, Jacie Cotterell, said her client was ‘set up for failure’ because he was unable to get the mental health resources he required upon his release, the Arizona Republic reported.
Michael Adams stabbed 17-year-old Elijah to death, because he didn’t like his rap music playing.
Now they are trying to say he was mentally ill — per usual. America needs to hold white terorrists accountable for they heinous crimes. #JusticeForElijah
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) July 8, 2019
America needs to hold white terrorists accountable for their heinous crimes.
But social media users railed against the defense, inundating Twitter with the hashtag #JusticeforElijah.
‘Michael Adams stabbed 17-year-old Elijah to death, because he didn’t like his rap music playing,’ wrote user Frederick Joseph on Twitter. ‘Now they are trying to say he was mentally ill — per usual. America needs to hold white terrorists accountable for they heinous crimes.’
Posted another user, ‘If my music makes you feel unsafe, then walk the fxck away’.
Another Twitter user wrote, ‘Funny how quickly we get to ‘mentally ill’ when the suspect is white and the victim isn’t. He killed an innocent teenager because he was listening to rap, call him what he is: murderer, RACIST.’
While another user posted, ‘I want Elijah el-Amin’s picture everywhere. This is who you fail when you defend anything like what we saw from the right this past weekend’.
Adams was booked at Maricopa County jail, where he’s being held on $1 million bond. He’s set to appear in court again July 15.
