Ex-Memphis police officers in Tyre Nichols case found not guilty by out-of-town jury
After 8 and a half hours of deliberation, the jury in the Tyre Nichols state case returned a blanket not guilty verdict for three of the former police officers charged with killing Nichols on May 7.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, Jr. were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. The jury, a mostly-white jury from Hamilton County, found all three not guilty on each count.
The jury found them not guilty of all charges, as well as lesser charges that they could have been convicted of.
Despite being found not guilty in state court, all three have been convicted in federal court and face time in federal prison. Sentencing for the federal case was postponed until the state case reached an end. Bean and Smith were found guilty in the federal case of witness tampering and face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Former Memphis Police Department officers Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean hug as Justin Smith Jr. becomes emotional behind them after they were found not guilty on all charges by the jury on the ninth day of the trial for the death of Tyre Nichols at 201 Poplar in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Haley was found guilty on all counts — using excessive force, being deliberately indifferent to Nichols' medical needs, witness tampering and conspiracy to witness tamper — but that jury found that when Haley violated Nichols' civil rights it resulted in injury, not death. Haley could serve a life sentence in federal prison.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Two other former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills, Jr., pleaded guilty in the federal case to using excessive force and conspiracy to witness tamper. Mills' plea agreement extended to the state case and he will serve both his federal and state sentences at the same time. It is not yet clear what Martin's plea will look like in state court.
Martin and Mills testified during the federal trial. Mills testified during the state trial.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ex-Memphis police officers found not guility in Tyre Nichols murder case
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