‘Squatter' convicted of 2020 murder of Oakland banker

( KRON ) — An Oakland man was convicted of murder for the 2020 killing of a local banker, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s office said Wednesday. A lawsuit filed last year said the killer, 47-year-old Jamal Thomas, harassed the victim’s family for months before committing the murder.

The victim, 44-year-old Miles Armstead, was a wealth management banker at Fremont Bank. Price’s office said he was running away from Thomas when he was shot on May 1, 2020.

Armstead, his wife and four kids moved into their home at 2901 76th Ave. in 2017. The lawsuit says they began to experience problems with Thomas on Thanksgiving Day 2019 when he banged on their door and attempted to break in.

According to the lawsuit, Thomas and his family were evicted from the home in August 2019. Two months later, he returned as a “squatter.”

Over the six months preceding Armstead’s murder, the family says they were harassed and threatened. Price’s office said Thomas threw rocks and bricks through windows of the family’s home.

The family called police at least 23 times in those six months and obtained a restraining order against him, per the lawsuit, but officers did not solve the situation. Thomas was taken into custody briefly for making threats in March 2020 but was released from jail under the supervision of the Alameda County Probation Department.

Armstead’s wife was injured by broken glass while she was pregnant, and Thomas purportedly threatened to burn the house down. Eventually, the family boarded up the house for their own protection and sold it to get away from Thomas.

Armstead was cleaning up his front yard to prepare it for the sale when he was killed. Price’s office said neighbors identified Thomas as the shooter.

Thomas faces 36 years and nine months in prison. He will be sentenced on Aug. 13.

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