Evergreen man sentenced to life in prison after killing ACA student

Daiyon El-Amin/Source: Montgomery County Detention Facility

An Evergreen man will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to killing an ACA student.

Montgomery County District Attorney Azzie Oliver says Daiyon El-Amin will serve life in prison for shooting and killing 17-year-old Leiah Holmes, who was a rising senior and cheerleader at Alabama Christian Academy in Montgomery.

The evidence showed that on July 12, 2021, El-Amin traveled from Evergreen, and broke into Leiah Holmes’ residence in the 4200 block of Delmar Drive. Upon seeing her, he shot her and then fled the scene. Miss Holmes was transported to Baptist Medical Center South, where she later died from her injuries.

El-Amin was apprehended and taken into custody by U.S. Marshals.

Investigators were able to identify El-Amin through a witness in the neighborhood and surveillance footage from multiple private and public cameras. Prior to her murder, Holmes and El-Amin had briefly dated.

“Leiah was a bright, beautiful young lady who was excited about enjoying all the milestone moments that are a part of senior year,” said District Attorney Oliver. “It’s tragic that neither she, nor her loved ones, will ever get to see her achieve all the hopes and dreams she had for her future. While this sentence can never fully ease her family’s pain, I hope they find comfort in knowing that her killer has been brought to justice. Daiyon El-Amin threw away what could have been an equally promising future because he senselessly and horrifically decided to take another life. He will now deal with the consequences of what he has done for the rest of his life behind bars.”