The man who was accused of killing 17-year-old Elijah Al-Amin in 2019 was found dead in his jail cell on April 17.
Michael Adams is accused of killing the teenager outside a Circle K in Peoria two years ago.
Adams told police that he killed the teenager because his rap music made him feel “unsafe” and admitted to slitting Al-Amin’s throat.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said Adams’s body was found in his jail cell.
Adams’s attorney argued his client had a mental illness. He was in jail awaiting trial, 12news reported.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is dismissing charges against Adams because of his death.
“He was just a really good kid. He was such a stand-up kid, and I miss him every single day,” said Elijah’s older sister Mariah Al-Amin.
“It’s almost like reliving it again,” Mariah Al-Amin said about Adams’s death.
“I myself was kind of relieved in a way to not have to go through the whole process, you know. Kind of just work on healing at this point instead of what’s gonna happen,” said Al-Amin.
“It’s just kind of good to wash our hands of that, but at the same (time), it doesn’t bring my brother back. Some days you don’t even want to get out of bed, some days you can kinda deal with life, but it’s definitely hard,” said Al-Amin.
