Birmingham brothers accused of shooting woman ‘like a dog’ for allegedly beating their mother

Two Birmingham brothers will remain in custody after a judge determined that the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old woman was a calculated act of retaliation. Marquis Antwon Graham, 24, and Nikolas Isaiah Graham, 27, are both facing murder charges in connection with the death of Tampril Lashae Davis.

A Retaliatory Killing

The charges stem from a Saturday shooting that authorities believe was triggered by an assault on the brothers’ 50-year-old mother last month. According to charging documents, Davis and 52-year-old Letha Hayes were previously arrested for second-degree assault after allegedly beating the suspects' mother in the head and face with a glass object. While some social media reports claimed the mother had been left in a coma, police could only confirm that she sustained serious injuries during the earlier incident.

The Courtroom Hearing

During an hour-long Aniah’s Law hearing on Thursday, Jefferson County Judge Michael Streety denied bond for both men. Prosecutors argued that the scene was a deliberate hit: testimony indicated that while Marquis Graham fired the fatal shots, Nikolas Graham arrived armed and stood by to assist his brother. Witness accounts provided a harrowing description of the crime, with one individual claiming the shooter stood over Davis and fired again, remarking that he killed her “like a dog.”

Police Investigation

Officers were already in the vicinity on a separate call at 7:35 p.m. Saturday when they heard gunfire in the 2400 block of Snavely Avenue. Upon arriving at the scene, they discovered Davis critically injured. She was transported to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m.

Birmingham homicide detective Abanellys Perez testified that the brothers were still at the scene when police arrived. Officers recovered a hot firearm from Marquis Graham’s waistband and later discovered another weapon in Nikolas Graham’s vehicle. Though defense counsel argued that the shooting was an act of self-defense—citing claims that Davis had retrieved a weapon from her vehicle—Judge Streety rejected the notion that the incident was isolated.

“There’s no accommodation or conditions to ensure the community will be protected from this type of behavior,” Judge Streety said, emphasizing the connection to the prior assault. “The court is not going to make that same mistake.”