Deters: Parolee went on 'spree killing,' fatally shooting two women, two men
A prison parolee went on a "spree killing" Friday, fatally shooting four people in North Avondale and Avondale, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters told The Enquirer.
One of Alto Miles' victims, 35-year-old Tasia Mason, was his former girlfriend, Deters said.
The motive for the killings remains under investigation. Prosecutors don't have to prove motive, Deters emphasized. For a conviction, they only need to show Miles purposely killed Mason and the three others and that he was the principal offender.
Miles, 42, could face the death penalty. A grand jury is expected to consider the case next month.
"It certainly fits the profile of a death penalty case in Ohio," Deters said. "But until we have all the facts, that decision won't be made."
Miles, 42, was arrested Sunday and arraigned Monday in Hamilton County Municipal Court on four counts of murder. He is being held on bonds totaling $4 million.
Prosecutors say the first two killed were Mason and 56-year-old Bridgett Carter. Their bodies were found at an apartment in the 800 block of Clinton Springs Avenue in North Avondale.
At about 4:10 a.m. Friday, police responded to a reported shooting in the 3600 block of Reading Road in Avondale. Officers found the bodies of William Bowen III, 28, and Michael Eves, 47.
Records show Miles' current address is an apartment building on Reading Road a few blocks away.
According to the Ohio Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, Miles was released from prison in 2018 and is currently on parole. He was sentenced to two years after being convicted in 2016 of trafficking heroin and cocaine.
Miles' adult criminal history includes numerous convictions for drug possession and trafficking. He has served multiple prison sentences.
His most recent gun conviction was in 2014 when court records say he committed a robbery using a Smith and Wesson handgun. He legally cannot have a gun because he is a convicted felon.
His first conviction for being a felon in possession of a gun was in 1997.
In 2005, according to court records, when he was being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center, Miles attacked a sheriff's deputy.
The public defender who appeared with Miles at his arraignment declined to comment.