Moorhead man accused in deadly shooting says he's ready for second trial

Matt Henson / WDAY By Matt Henson Today at 6:40 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? MOORHEAD — A Moorhead man accused of pulling the trigger in a deadly drive-by shooting is telling his story for the first time. Jerome Thomas, 36, is set to go on trial again in a few weeks after a judge declared a mistrial at his first trial in April. ADVERTISEMENT He faces two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Thomas invited WDAY News to sit down with him at the Clay County Jail on Wednesday, Nov. 11, saying he wanted to share his side of the story because he is tired of being called a monster. "When I pulled up ... James pulled the gun out on me," Thomas said, referring to the morning of April 13, 2025. Thomas did not deny pulling up in his car and shooting 39-year-old James Hamilton in the driveway of a south Moorhead house. "I knew he was shot, but I didn't know he was murdered," Thomas said. Hamilton's 17-year-old son witnessed the shooting. Thomas then went and fired a shot into the car of Hamilton's girlfriend, who was parked down the block. "I hate the whole situation, but I was put in that position," Thomas said. ADVERTISEMENT Thomas said he sometimes stayed at the house and was caught off guard when he saw Hamilton at the home. During his first trial, Thomas argued a restraining order prevented Hamilton from being at the home. Thomas said Wednesday that the two men had been feuding for months via text messaging about a woman from a previous relationship. Prosecutors said Hamilton's son attacked Thomas at the home earlier in the morning. "I could have been the one who ended up dead," Thomas said Wednesday. Thomas was arrested the next day in Michigan. Matt Henson / WDAY "Honestly, scared," Thomas said when asked why he drove to Michigan if it was self-defense. After deliberating over the course of three days during his first trial in April, jurors told Judge Jade Rosenfeldt they had reached an agreement on four of the five charges but could not agree on the fifth charge. ADVERTISEMENT They did not say which charges they agreed on or their potential verdicts. During the trial, in which Thomas served as his own lawyer, he was scolded by Rosenfeldt for several outbursts in court. Thomas said Wednesday he was disappointed with his own behavior, saying the outbursts were the pressure of representing himself. He said he feels more prepared for the next trial. He said he rejected a plea deal for 30 years in prison. "Like I said, nobody is going to represent themselves or defend themselves better than that person," Thomas said. READ MORE FROM MATT HENSON Moorhead joins West Fargo in replacing Flock with Axon 20h ago Fargo Police Department welcomes 9 new officers 2d ago Levi Larteh sentenced to 55 years in 2025 apartment stairwell slaying 2d ago Thomas said the fact the first trial ended in a mistrial gives him confidence that he did something "good enough" to refute some of the prosecutor's claims. Contributed / Clay County Jail "I hope the jury and people keep an open mind," Thomas said. Thomas' retrial is scheduled for the last week in November. Thomas' girlfriend, 33-year-old Abby Fredrickson, was sentenced to three years of probation earlier this year after pleading guilty to aiding an offender. ADVERTISEMENT She admitted to driving Thomas to Michigan. Matt Henson / WDAY-TV file photo Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags MOORHEAD CRIME CRIME AND COURTS SHOOTINGS By Matt Henson Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years. Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Moorhead Concordia Choir to sell Christmas Concert backdrop as puzzle 52m ago · By Josh Mathisen Moorhead Concordia Theatre prepares for ‘A Chorus Line’ 58m ago · By Michael McGurran Moorhead In AI-powered world, Fargo-Moorhead colleges see where technology fits in 14h ago · By Ingrid Harbo ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads Prep Preps Plus: Region's athletes ink collegiate future on Signing Day 2h ago · By Andrew Haugland Moorhead Moorhead man accused in deadly shooting says he's ready for second trial 19m ago · By Matt Henson Columns Port: The voters are standing behind North Dakota's property tax cap 12h ago · By Rob Port Women's Sports Bison women's basketball signs two North Dakotans, part of large 2027 signing class 7h ago · By Dom Izzo