CINCINNATI — An argument broke out among spectators in a Hamilton County courtroom Friday after a man accused of murdering four people in 2020 yelled in court and refused to accept his new guilty plea.
Alto Miles was in court expected to enter a new plea in connection with the murders of William Bowen III, 28; Michael Eves, 47; Briggett Carter, 56 and Tasia Mason, 35.
Investigators said Miles shot and killed the four people at two separate crime scenes on April 10, 2020. Authorities found Bowen and Eves shot to death at about 4:10 a.m. on Reading Road near Glenwood Avenue, and police found Carter and Mason shot dead at about 5:40 p.m. inside an apartment on Clinton Springs Avenue.
In 2020, then-Prosecutor Joe Deters sought the death penalty for Miles. Deters said that after Miles was arrested, he told investigators he would have continued killing had they not stopped him.
In September 2023, a Hamilton County judge ruled that Miles would no longer face the death penalty after a doctor found that he suffers from Schizoaffective disorder and did so at the time of the murders. Schizoaffective disorder is one of four mental health statues that qualify under Ohio law in getting a death penalty sentencing thrown out.
Miles appeared in court Friday in a restraint chair with a spit screen covering his mouth.
Miles' attorney announced he was retracting his former plea of not guilty and changing it to guilty on four counts of aggravated murder, which was a plea offer from the state. While Miles' attorney was entering the new plea, Miles himself yelled out into the courtroom.
"Now get me the f*** out of here," Miles yelled.
Miles continued to yell about shooting and stabbing people in the head while his attorney attempted to quiet him. During this time, Miles yelled while looking at the spectators in the courtroom.
After the plea agreement was read, Miles would not verbally agree to the plea agreement, despite signing it. Instead, he began yelling at Judge Christopher A. Wagner, before Wagner asked him one last time if he'd like to plead guilty.
Miles then laughed out loud multiple times and began to yell more expletives before the judge said he could be taken back to the jail.
You can watch video of the court appearance in the player at the top of this story.
Wagner said that Miles could not "knowingly and voluntarily plead guilty to the charges he's been indicted with," causing the hearing to be rescheduled. Wagner said he'd reschedule the hearing via Zoom because Miles has now acted up during multiple court appearances.
As Wagner was attempting to reschedule the hearing, an argument also seemed to break out among the courtroom's spectators, which contained family members from multiple of the victims. As deputies broke up the small argument, a woman who left the courtroom could be heard loudly yelling in the hallway.
It's unclear what sparked the argument or who exactly was involved in it.
Wagner also ordered that a doctor reevaluate Miles to give an update on his mental state.
Miles' recheduled hearing is set for Thursday, Nov. 9 at noon.
READ MORE:
Hamilton County probate judge accused of misconduct over Facebook comments on open case
Ohio woman indicted on murder charges in deaths of at least four men, attorney general says
DOJ: Disbarred attorney from Mason arrested after using fake ID to get hired
