OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
11:45am – Friday, October 4, 2024
In federal court on Thursday, three of the five former Memphis police officers charged with bludgeoning Tyre Nichols to death received mixed verdicts from a jury.
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Deliberations by the jury began at approximately 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, October 3.rd2024. At 4:30 p.m., the decision was finally announced.
After deliberating for about six and a half hours, the jury found in favor of Tadarius Bean, Justin Smith and Demetrius Haley.
Tadarius Bean
The jury found Bean guilty only of count four, obstruction. Counts 1 through 3 (deprivation of rights, intentional indifference, and conspiracy) were dismissed from his case.
Demetrius Haley
Haley was found guilty of two lesser charges of violation of rights resulting in injury and willful neglect. Haley was found guilty on counts 3 and 4 of obstruction and conspiracy to commit obstruction.
Justin Smith
Both counts 1 and 2, deprivation of rights and willful indifference, and the lesser charge of deprivation of rights causing injury, were dismissed from Smith's case. Smith was found guilty of obstruction on count four, but acquitted of conspiracy on count three.
The four-count federal indictment against three former Memphis Police Department officers involved in the murder of Tyre Nichols went on trial for nearly four weeks.
The officers faced charges of deprivation of rights under color of law, conspiracy to tamper with a witness, obstruction of justice by tampering with a witness, excessive force and willful indifference.
Although the lawyers protested, federal marshals still detained everyone. A detention hearing was scheduled for Monday. January 22ndn.d.Their sentencing date will be in 2025.
Prosecutors on Thursday, Sept. 26, after calling 19 witnesses, including two former Metropolitan Police Department Scorpion Squad officers, Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III, who admitted to beating Nichols to death in 2023. The lawsuit was discontinued.th. In their testimony, both men admitted their fault.
“Martin and Mills could face up to 40 and 15 years in prison, respectively,” the report said. ABC24a local station in Memphis.
There was no need to bring three former Memphis police officers to testify, and their lawyers dropped the case. Monday, September 30ththafter calling both current and former police officers to the stand, Smith's lawyer, Martin Zummack, was the last to rest. Wednesday, October 2ndn.d.prosecutors and lawyers made closing arguments.
“On January 7, 2023, Tire Nichols was severely assaulted after a traffic stop by a Memphis Police Department officer. The Memphis Police Department initially stated that on January 8, Nichols' traffic stop was due to reckless driving. However, on January 27, the Memphis Police Chief said there was no evidence in the video to indicate probable cause for the traffic stop, during which an initial altercation ensued, during which officers used pepper spray and a Taser. Nichols fled on foot, and Memphis police soon caught up with him and a second altercation ensued, punching and kicking him in the face and hitting him in the back with a baton. Media outlets reported that the footage did not show Nichols resisting or provoking the officers during the assault. He was hospitalized in critical condition and eventually died in 2023. He passed away on January 10th,'' said Ben Crump, an attorney representing the Nichols family.
The five police officers were fired shortly after the incident. In September 2023, he was indicted on federal civil rights charges in addition to state allegations that he lied about the assault and used excessive force.
The five former police officers were part of a crime-fighting unit known as the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded by authorities after Nichols' death.
Additionally, a jury trial in the $550 million lawsuit brought by the Nichols family against the City of Memphis is scheduled for sometime in March 2025. Attorney Ben Crump said he intends to “move full steam ahead” with the civil suit following the federal court ruling.
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