Tyre Nichols murder trial is underway. What to know about the deadly traffic stop
The state criminal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop resumed for a fourth day of testimony.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith Jr. are facing charges that include second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. All three defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial started on April 28.
Two other officers took plea deals ahead of a federal trial last year and will not be tried as part of this state trial, though they could testify.
The out-of-town jury hearing the case is from Hamilton County, Tennessee, and is mostly white, made up of nine women and six men. The jury will be sequestered for the duration of the trial.
Here's a brief timeline of what happened leading up to the trial and what witnesses have said so far.
What happened to Tyre Nichols?
Nichols was pulled over in the evening hours of Jan. 7, 2023. Haley and another officer initially pulled him over and pulled him from his car.
A struggle ensued, with pepper spray being used and a Taser being fired at Nichols as he ran from officers. It is unclear if the Taser made contact with him.
Another set of officers eventually caught up to Nichols, who was running toward his mother's house. He was less than 100 yards away when he was tackled.
When more officers got to the scene, while officers held Nichols' arms and hit him with a barrage of kicks, punches, baton strikes and pepper spray.
The assault lasted minutes and was captured on body cameras and a SkyCop camera. When Nichols goes limp, he is handcuffed and leaned against an unmarked squad car. More than 20 minutes pass before he is put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.
Nichols was in critical condition when he arrived at the hospital. He died three days later when he was taken off life support.
Defense starts presenting its case and raises questions about drugs, stolen credit cards
In opening statements, defense attorneys focused on Nichols resisting arrest, and the dangers of being a Memphis cop. Attorneys for each of the three former officers on trial ‒ Bean, Haley and Smith ‒ took a slightly different approach with the jury, but argued a similar theme: Nichols was dangerous to the officers.
They said drugs and stolen credit cards were found in Nichols' car and argued he could have had superhuman strength due to drug use. Investigators confirmed IDs, credit cards, psilocybin and multiple items that tested positive for cannabis were found in Nichols' vehicle.
The officers' lawyers also argued the traffic stop was warranted and Nichols resisted arrest and struggled against them.
'My son was beaten to a pulp' Emotional testimony as Tyre Nichols murder trial begins
Former officer who fired Taser says he heard Nichols grabbed gun
Former Memphis police officer Preston Hemphill, who was fired but not criminally charged after firing his Taser at at Nichols, said he saw Nichols switch lanes without a blinker and said he was fleeing from police. That, according to Hemphill, gave him reason to pull over the car.
During the stop, Hemphill said Nichols struggled with officers, and Haley pushed him into the car. At one point, Hemphill said he heard Emmitt Martin III, one of the officers who took a plea deal, yell, 'Let go my gun.'
'It increased the risk as high as it can go for me,' Hemphill said.
Hemphill said he tried to bear hug Nichols, but was unable to keep him restrained. He fired his Taser, but did not know that his weapon failed to connect with Nichols until after the incident.
Hemphill estimated he, Haley and Martin weighed about 750 pounds collectively. Defense attorney Martin Zummach asked Hemphill if he was exaggerating when he said Nichols pushed all three men off him. Hemphill said no, he was not exaggerating.
TBI investigator said drugs, stolen credit cards were found Nichols' car
Special Agent Charles 'Chuck' Baker, the lead investigator with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Nichols' case, confirmed IDs and credit cards were found in Nichols' car.
Baker also said there were 1.77 grams of psilocybin and multiple items that tested positive for cannabis in Nichols' vehicle. A charred substance, he said, was 0.6 grams of cannabis.
Baker said TBI did not do independent toxicology testing, but did obtain copies of tests done by the hospital. Zummach pushed hard on Baker about whether TBI investigators were aware that the accused officers believed Nichols was high and when bloodwork was done on Nichols.
Baker said TBI also reviewed allegations that Nichols had an extremely high pain tolerance and a large amount of strength. Those allegations, Baker said, were not founded, based on the video and other evidence.
Michael Stengel, Haley's attorney, asked about the stolen cards found in Nichols' car. In total, Stengel showed five credit cards, debit cards, and IDs.
"Say everything in that car was stolen, it still has no bearing on me as to the seriousness of the crime I was asked to investigate," Baker later told Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman. Hagerman went on to point out that none of the officers on trial knew about the drugs or cards found in the car. He also asked if Baker has ever associated psilocybin use with superhuman strength.
Baker said he has never found someone on psilocybin to be super strong. Hagerman asked the same questions about marijuana use.
'No, they're very peaceful,' Baker said.
Medical examiner found Nichols' cause of death was homicide
Dr. Marco Ross, the chief medical examiner for the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center, said Nichols had multiple injuries including abrasions and bruises across his body. Ross said some injuries were 'superficial,' but the investigation of Nichols' body revealed deeper traumas and damage.
Ross said there was hemorrhaging due to multiple areas of tearing within Nichols' brain. Ross said Nichols also had axonal injuries due to the trauma from impact. Axons are part of nerve cells, he explained, and connect with other nerves. They're important for sending electrical signals throughout the body, he said.
'Most commonly, I've usually seen these types of injuries in car accidents,' Ross said. "It's the power of the forces involved with the impact on the head.'
Ross said Nichols' cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the manner of death was homicide.
According to Ross, Nichols tested positive for alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, drugs administered by paramedics and hospital staff, and marijuana products. Nichols' alcohol level was .049 on the breathalyzer scale, according to Ross. He added that Nichols' marijuana levels were seen in standard, recreational use.
Former officer shared photo of Nichols 11 times after beating
After the beating, Haley took a photo of Nichols' body leaned up against the side of an unmarked police cruiser, according to Derek Miller, a cybercrimes forensics expert with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The photo, presented for the first time publicly, showed Nichols leaned against a car with his hands cuffed behind his back. His clothes were dirty, presumably from being thrown to the ground, and his mouth was covered in blood.
Miller said it is believed the photo was shared "up to 11 times." He added that the first person who received the photo had it sent to them "two or three minutes" after it was taken.
Officer who pepper sprayed Nichols admits to lying about beating
Former Memphis Police Department officer Desmond Mills Jr., one of the five officers charged in relation to Nichols' death, said he pepper-sprayed Nichols three times and sprayed multiple people, including himself and other officers.
Mills took a plea deal before the federal trial and could be sentenced to life in prison.
Mills said Nichols did not throw a punch or kick. He added the beating Nichols received should have been stopped by himself or others. After the beating, Mills said Martin asked him to turn off his body camera. Mills said he obliged and they talked about what prompted the officers to beat up Nichols.
Mills said he later lied on police paperwork to keep himself and his coworkers out of trouble. He said he didn't know a SkyCop camera at the scene recorded what happened. On the footage, Nichols can be heard screaming for his mother as officers held him on the ground, pepper sprayed him and asked for his hands.
"During any of those videos did you ever say stop?' Hagerman asked Mills.
'No,' Mills replied.
Tyre Nichols' mother shares emotional toll of losing her son
Nichols' mother, RowVaugh Wells spoke about the emotional toll of losing her son on the first day of the trial.
Wells is softspoken on most days, and her voice wavered as she recalled police arriving at her house the night Nichols was beaten.
Her voice, still quiet, grew firm when Headley asked about Nichols' appearance when Wells visited him in the hospital.
"My son was beaten to a pulp. His head was the size of a watermelon," she said. "He was bruised from head to toe."
Federal charges adjudicated, mixed verdicts
In 2023, federal prosecutors announced criminal indictments of five officers in the death, including Bean, Haley, Martin, Mills and Smith. That case went to trial in September 2024.
Martin and Mills entered into plea deals prior to trial and both testified in the federal case. Bean and Smith were found guilty of witness tampering but were acquitted of all other civil rights charges.
Haley was found guilty on all counts — using excessive force, being deliberately indifferent, witness tampering and conspiracy to witness tamper.
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