Arizona man says he stabbed teenager because he felt 'threatened' by his rap music

(Image credit: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

published 10 July 2019

A 27-year-old Arizona man told investigators he stabbed a 17-year-old to death inside a convenience store last Thursday because the teen was listening to rap music in his car, which made him feel "unsafe."

Court filings state that Michael Adams told police he heard the music as he approached a Circle K in Peoria, Arizona, and felt uneasy because he's been attacked before by people who listened to rap, specifically "blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans." Adams, who is white, also told investigators he decided to be "proactive rather than reactive" to the "threat" he faced.

Police say the victim, Elijah al-Amin, was buying a soda after getting off of work, and had his back turned when he was stabbed in the neck. Adams, who was released from prison two days before the attack, has been charged with first-degree murder. His attorney, Jacie Cotterell, said in court her client is mentally ill, and when he left prison, he did not have any medicine or a way to receive mental health treatment, The Guardian reports.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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