Ex-police officers found not guilty of murder in Tyre Nichols beating death
Ex-police officers found not guilty of murder in Tyre Nichols beating death Three ex-Memphis police officers faced state charges, including second-degree murder and aggravated assault, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.
An out-of-town-jury in the Tyre Nichols state case returned a not guilty verdict on all counts for three of the former Memphis police officers charged in his death.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, Jr. were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. The out-of-town jury was mostly-white from Hamilton County.
Five officers pepper-sprayed, punched and kicked Nichols, a 29-year-old father, skateboarder and FedEx worker, during a 2023 traffic stop. Release of video of the beating sparked protests and vigils across the nation and calls for change within the Memphis Police Department.
During the trial, attorneys for Bean, Haley and Smith said Nichols resisted arrest and was dangerous to the officers. They noted drugs and stolen credit cards were found in Nichols' car and said he could have had superhuman strength due to drug use. Prosecutors said the officers beat Nichols to death, pointing to his severe injuries, and tried to cover it up afterward.
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.
Officers still facing federal prison time
All three former officers were 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 acquitted of civil rights violations but found guilty of witness tampering and face up to 20 years in federal prison.
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., took a plea deal and 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.
Martin and Mills testified during the federal trial. Mills testified during the state trial.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com or on X @LucasFinton.
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