A man with an arrest record dating back decades is facing a murder charge in the fatal beating of another man at a Miami-Dade bus stop last week, records showed.
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James W. Thompson, 57, was charged Thursday with second-degree murder and armed robbery in the alleged incident that happened June 2, an arrest report said.
According to the report, Thompson got into a verbal argument with the victim about a debt from a previous drug deal and the victim walked away but Thompson followed and continually harassed him until they arrived at the bus stop on Southwest 173rd Street, the report said.
Thompson severely beat the victim, punching and kicking him and causing him to fall from the bus bench, then searched the victim’s backpack for money, removing something before fleeing, the report said.
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The victim, whose identity wasn’t released, was rushed to a local hospital but died from his injuries.
On June 6, Thompson was arrested on unrelated charges and booked into jail.
On Thursday, he was interviewed by Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives and made a confession, the report said.
Thompson was expected to appear in bond court to face the new charges.
Florida Department of Corrections records show Thompson has been in and out of prison dating back to 1990 and was most recently released on Nov. 28, 2025.
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