After 8 and a half hours of discussion, the jurors in the case of the TIR state have returned a sentence that is not to blame for three of the former police officers charged with Nichols’ murder on May 7.
Tadarius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith Jr. were accused of second-degree murder, aggravated attack, aggravated abduction, official violation and official oppression. The jury, a wholly white jury from Hamilton County, found all three are not to blame for every census.
The jurors acknowledged them that they were not guilty of all the charges, as well as the smaller accusations for which they could be convicted.
“We have no idea what the sentence is. Whatever it is, in front of Poker. We will have a chance to talk about it,” Deputy District Prosecutor of Shelby Paul Hammerman said to the family before the jurors were introduced into the courtroom. Judge James Jones, Jr., made a similar, albeit much more unusual, exhorted in front of the whole gallery after the court was summoned to a session.
Since not the guilty sentences were read by Jones, some of the Nichols family members could be seen crying. The assigned officers now hugged with their lawyers, and members of the former officers were crying after the jurors left.
“Hallelujah, thank you Jesus,” a member of the family of a former officer could have heard repeatedly shouting in the hallway.
Kayana Dickson, Tir Nichols sister, closes her eyes like former police officers in Memphis Tadarius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, Jr., were found guilty of all charges in the ninth day of Nicholas’s death,
As a result of the justifiable excuses, the legal team representing Nichols’s family said they were “outraged” by the sentence.
“Today’s convictions are a detrimental miscarriage of justice,” said Ben Crump and Antonio Romano, said Nichols, representing Nichols’s family, said in a press release. “The world was watching Nichols of the tires had been beaten to death by the sworn for protection and service.
The Nichols family did not speak after the trial, instead decided to leave the Court of Justice. The district prosecutor of the Shelby County Steve Mulkoy said the family was “devastated” after the sentence when prosecutors talked to them.
He continued to say that together with the team of the prosecutor’s office of Hargerman and the Assistant Lawyers, Melanie Hedli and Tanisha Johnson, disagree with the jury’s sentence.
“We have taken this case in good faith and to this day I am convinced that we have convincing evidence that shows that there is evidence of each element of each of the crimes we have accused,” Mulroy said at a press conference after the sentence. “The jury took a different opinion. This is, of course, their right.”
Mulroy and the test team refused Monday Morning to their test strategy, refusing to say what they would change if they could have. They also could not say what evidence from the defense case was most noticeable.
“We knew that would always be difficult,” Hargerman said. “We have tried the three most guilty about, obviously, g -n [Emmitt] Martin was the main actor and he went into a guilty recognition. D -n [Desmond] Mills, with the strokes of the bat – again the main actor – and he went into a guilty recognition. So we knew that the process would be difficult. “
Although they were found guilty of the State Court, all three were sentenced to the Federal Court and faced the federal prison before. The conviction in the federal case was postponed until the state case reached an end. Bean and Smith were found guilty in the federal case for the forgery of witnesses and up to 20 years in the federal prison.
Former police officers in Memphis Demetrius Haley and Tadarius Bean embrace when Justin Smith -Jr. becomes emotional behind them after they were found guilty of all allegations of jurors on the ninth day.
Haley was found guilty at all points – using excessive force, deliberately indifferent to Nichols’ medical needs, the seasoning of witnesses and a conspiracy to witness a spice – but that the jurors find that when Haley violates Nichols’s civil rights, it led to injury. Haley may serve a life sentence in the federal prison.
There is no conditional release in the federal system.
Two other former officers, Martin III and Desmond Mills, Jr., have pleaded guilty to the federal case that they use excessive power and conspiracy to witness Smaper. The Mils Legal Ease Agreement has expanded in the case of the state, and it will serve both its federal and state sentences at the same time. It is not yet clear what Martin’s request will look like in the State Court.
Martin and Mills testified during the federal process. Mills testified during the state process.
Mulroy, when asked what message this sentence was giving to the police in Memphis, said the guilty convictions in the federal court had some consequences for their actions. However, he said this sentence shows the need for reforms.
“If we are going to have some silver lining from this dark cloud both from the event itself and in my opinion today, it should be that we have to confirm our commitment to the police reform and do what we need to do to make sure that the tragedies like this are not repeated again,” he said. “
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Lucas Fintton covers crime, police, prisons, courts and criminal justice policy for commercial appeal. It can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and lucas.finton@commericalAppal.com and followed by X @lucasfinton.
This article originally appeared in the commercial appeal of Memphis: Former Memphis police officers found that they were not stupid in the Tire Nichols murder case