16-Year-Old Ala. Girl’s Alleged Killer, 18, Turns Himself In

DeMylah Delyric Nixon-Johnson was fatally shot in the back on July 24, Captain Chris Tate tells PEOPLE

Nearly two weeks after a 16-year-old was murdered in Sheffield, Ala., the 18-year-old accused of killing her turned himself in.

Known as “Ghost,” Larmarion Nizer Bethany is charged with first-degree murder in the case, Captain Chris Tate confirms to PEOPLE in a phone interview.

The teen turned himself in at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6 in connection to the July 24 killing of DeMylah Delyric Nixon-Johnson, according to Tate.

Sheffield police do not think the 16-year-old was the intended target but have not released information on who that intended target might be.

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DeMylah had been shot once in the back on S. Nashville Ave. around 1 a.m. that Wednesday, says Tate.

Police found her lying in the grass and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

DeMylah’s aunt, Annie Johnson, who set up a GoFundMe to help the grieving mother cover funeral costs, said on the campaign page that her niece’s “life was taken entirely too soon” by a “senseless act of violence.”

Around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, law enforcement transferred Bethany out of the Sheffield City Jail to a facility in Colbert County, where inmates accused of felonies are housed, Tate tells PEOPLE.

Bethany is slated for his first court appearance Thursday, Aug. 8, per Tate. It was not immediately clear if he had yet retained a lawyer ahead of his scheduled arraignment.

PEOPLE reached out to the Sheffield Municipal Court clerk for additional information regarding court proceedings but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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