On Thursday, three former Memphis police officers were found guilty of witness tampering in connection with the 2023 beating and death of Tyre Nichols, and two were acquitted of more serious federal civil rights violations. .
After six hours of deliberation, the jury found Tadarius Beane, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith guilty of attempting to manipulate the story by tampering with a witness, a charge that carries a possible 20 years in prison. It was decided that According to However, the jury acquitted Bean and Smith of the more serious charge of violating Nichols’ civil rights, but convicted Haley of manslaughter, which was less than the expected charge of manslaughter. It was also light.
Five officers were initially charged, but two officers involved in Nichols’ death entered guilty pleas and testified against their former colleagues, Fox 59 reported. Attorney Ben Crump and Nichols’ mother Rowvaughn Wells expressed satisfaction with the overall outcome of the case.
#breaking news: Three former Memphis city employees were found guilty of witness tampering and two others were acquitted of federal civil rights charges in the 2023 assault and death of Tire Nichols. https://t.co/rcNGidxX3h
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) October 3, 2024
“They’ve all been convicted of something, and they’re all going to prison,” Wells said, FOX 59 reported. “That’s how I feel. This has been a long journey for our family.”
Desmond Mills, one of the officers who accepted a plea deal that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, gave emotional testimony at the trial, Fox 59 reported. He tearfully expressed regret for the beating, apologized for leaving Nichols’ young son fatherless, and blamed the cover-up in the hope that if Nichols survived, the incident would “blow over.” admitted that he had participated. (Related article: Five former police officers slapped with federal charges for allegedly beating Tire Nichols to death)
Emmitt Martin, another police officer who reached an agreement with prosecutors, testified that Nichols was “helpless” during the assault and that the officers had a mutual understanding to cover for each other, the newspaper reported. Reported. Under the plea deal, prosecutors are recommending a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, but the defense has questioned the training of officers, emphasized Martin as the key perpetrator, and Nichols’ head and He admitted punching and kicking him in the torso.
Nichols died from his injuries three days after a traffic stop on January 7, 2023, during which five former police officers stopped Nichols for “reckless driving” and then fled on foot. I chased it. Video footage shows officers punching Nichols before he was hospitalized for shortness of breath and later died from his injuries.
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