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Former Memphis police officers found guilty

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Former Memphis police officers found guilty

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After deliberating for about five hours, a jury found a former Memphis police officer guilty of civil rights violations related to the fatal police beating of Tire Nichols more than 20 months ago.

The jury found Demetrius Haley guilty of using excessive force, intentionally indifferent to Nichols' medical needs, and conspiring to commit witness tampering and witness tampering. While Haley was found guilty on all counts, the jury concluded that the first two counts – use of excessive force and deliberate indifference to Nichols' medical needs – resulted in injury, not death, and convicted him on lesser charges.

Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith Jr. were found guilty of witness tampering.

They were charged along with former officers Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr.

Both Martin and Mills took plea deals before trial – pleading guilty to use of excessive force and conspiracy to commit witness tampering. Both men also testified for the prosecution in court. For Mills' plea, prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence and Martin's 40-year sentence, although both will ultimately be decided by Judge Mark S. Norris.

All three convicted officers were immediately taken into custody and a hearing will be held on Monday to determine whether they can be released on bail before being sentenced. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22.

The maximum sentence for the other three under the original charges was life in federal prison. It is unclear what Haley's maximum sentence will be since he was convicted on the lesser charges. Smith and Bean face a maximum sentence of 20 years. There is no parole in the federal system, so each defendant must serve the entire sentence.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said that when all the officers were found guilty of at least one charge, Nichols' parents immediately said “thank God.”

“Thank God they're all going to jail for what they did to my boy,” Rodney Wells said after Norris said all three officers would be taken into custody immediately.

Keyana Dixon, Nichols' older sister, spoke after the verdict, calling it “a bittersweet day.”

Related: Former MPD officer cries on witness stand and other moments during third week of Tire Nichols trial

More: “Five police officers let him die,” prosecutors say in closing arguments in Tire Nichols’ trial

“I'll never get my little brother back. “But seeing these officers held accountable for what they did and what they did to our family gave me hope for the future that this may never happen to another family again,” she said. “But I'm just so grateful, I smiled when I saw them being taken away.”

The consultations went faster than the entire process, which took almost four weeks. Jurors were forced to weigh the testimony of 19 prosecution witnesses, nine defense witnesses, hours of footage of the incident and pages of reports used as evidence.

Due to numerous objections that led to side conversations between Norris and the lawyers, the trial never came to a conclusion. Several motions were also argued throughout the trial, with jurors being removed from the courtroom, sometimes delaying proceedings for several hours.

Bad weather from two East Coast hurricanes further complicated the trial, including a shortened day to give jurors a chance to get home safely.

What happened to Tire Nichols?

Nichols was stopped in the evening hours of January 7, 2023. The stop was initially described by police as a reckless driving stop, but Martin – the officer who initiated the stop – said during his statement that Nichols was driving faster to beat a red light.

Martin called the SCORPION unit's radio frequency asking for help as he followed Nichols. According to his testimony, he said that “he wasn't engaging with me” to suggest that Nichols was running away from Martin. He further stated that this was his attempt to “escalate” the situation.

Footage released by the city, many of which were shown during the trial, showed officers aggressively pulling Nichols from the car. Martin testified that both he and Haley had their guns drawn when they stopped Nichols.

Martin and Haley tackled Nichols to the ground and began pepper spraying him. Eventually, the officers' grip on Nichols loosened and the 29-year-old black man was able to escape. He fled the scene along with another former officer who was never prosecuted – Preston Hemphill – and fired his Taser at Nichols. It wasn't clear whether the prongs hit Nichols or not, but video showed him removing a jacket as the electricity from the Taser could be heard.

Other officers found Nichols and tackled him near Castlegate Lane and Bear Creek Lane. There they beat him, held his arms, kicked him, sprayed him with pepper spray and hit him with a baton. During the crush, officers shouted at Nichols to “give us your hands,” even as two officers held him by each of his arms.

Regard: “We expect justice.” Attorney Ben Crump speaks about the federal trial of Tire Nichols in Memphis

Nichols was eventually handcuffed and pulled over to an unmarked patrol car. He was confronted and the officers on the scene laughed as they recounted the arrest. Nichols could be seen slumped over in the background of a SkyCop camera.

He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition and medical professionals testified in court that his heart stopped beating for about 25 minutes.

He was placed on a ventilator and died in hospital three days later.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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