Credit: Netflix

Worst Neigbor Ever, from the creators of Worst Roommate Ever and Worst Ex Ever on Netflix, not only sheds light on the darker aspects of community living; in doing so, it also brings a few of the most spine-chilling real-life cases of neighbourhood disputes gone murderously wrong back into the public consciousness.

The true-crime documentary focuses on four distinct cases of neighbourhood feuds, one of which is titled Fear Thy Neighbor, the third episode of the series, which tells the story of Jamal Thomas, who committed a first-degree murder.

The Worst Neigbor Ever episode follows Miles and Melina Armstead, who moved into Eastmont Hills neighbourhood in Oakland, California, in 2017, with their three children from previous relationships. At the time, Thomas resided in the garage at the back of his parents’ house, essentially making the family neighbours to the Armsteads, whom they welcomed with open arms.

While the couple initially had a cordial relationship with the Thomas family, things quickly went south when Jamal’s parents, Patricia and Walter, were getting evicted. As Jamal started squatting at the house, he began repeatedly complaining about the dog next door at the Armstead house. However, the conflict took an even worse turn when Thomas started fanatically knocking on Miles’s door every night, soon escalating the tension by breaking windows.

The events started unfolding just around the time Melina discovered that she was pregnant, leading the couple to install panic alarms for security in the house. Miles and Melina even reported Jama’s misdeeds to the local authorities. However, as revealed in Worst Neighbor Ever, the situation was overlooked due to an unlikely high crime rate in the locality and a web of manipulation orchestrated by none other than Jamal.

But as the birth date approached, the couple decided to take no risks and move out to a different neighbourhood for good. However, as Miles returned to his old place to retrieve some things that he needed, Jamal walked up to him, shooting him point-blank. It was the neighbours who identified Thomas as the shooter, who was arrested more than seven hours later from a motel.

Jamal Thomas was found guilty of first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm by a felon with prior convictions in July 2024. In April 2025, he was sentenced to 28 years and 8 months of imprisonment and is currently serving his sentence.