Man Pleads Guilty in Young Dolph’s Murder
The individual responsible for the shooting of rapper Young Dolph outside his beloved cookie shop in Memphis four years ago has entered a guilty plea.
Cornelius Smith Jr., 36, a rapper and music label executive, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, as announced by prosecutors on Friday.
Smith, along with another assailant, Justin Johnson, faced first-degree murder charges in the attack on the rapper, whose real name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. This incident occurred outside Makeda’s Homemade Cookies, not far from where he grew up in a working-class neighborhood.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Smith will serve as the primary witness against Johnson in his upcoming trial in 2024, before pleading guilty to a lesser second-degree murder charge.
Young Dolph, also 36 at the time, had established a significant presence in Memphis, known not just for his music but for his charitable efforts in the community.
In an ironic twist, he was targeted while he returned home to distribute turkeys to families for Thanksgiving.
Prosecutors reported that the two attackers emerged from a white Mercedes-Benz, unleashing a barrage of gunfire upon him.
Following his death, many of Dolph’s friends and supporters gathered at the site of the shooting, creating an outpouring of grief and disbelief.
In the aftermath, local officials considered implementing a curfew in the city, which has a population of about 610,000, in an effort to curb potential retaliatory violence.
Prosecutors have alleged that another music mogul, Anthony “Big Joke” Mims, may have orchestrated the hit, following Dolph’s release of a song that seemed to take aim at Mims’s record label, which he co-managed with his brother, rapper Yo Gotti.
Mims, who was never charged in connection with Dolph’s murder, was shot dead outside a restaurant in early 2024.
As part of his plea bargain, several other charges against Smith were dropped. Meanwhile, Johnson is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of a firearm as a felon.
