A jury has found three former Memphis police officers not guilty on all charges related to the tragic death of Tyre Nichols. This verdict includes the most serious accusation of second-degree murder. The officers in question, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, faced a total of seven counts during the state trial concerning their involvement in the fatal beating of Nichols, a 29-year-old father who was stopped by police while on his way home.
Upon hearing the verdict, the three men embraced each other and their legal counsel in relief. Meanwhile, Nichols' family exited the courtroom without making any statements to the media. They did, however, have a brief conversation with Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, who expressed that the family was devastated and outraged by the jury's decision. "I think we can understand why they'd be outraged by this result given the evidence," Mulroy stated.
This incident initially led to the firing and charging of five former officers with both federal and state crimes associated with Nichols' death. Notably, two of these officers pleaded guilty in federal court last year and provided testimony against their former colleagues. Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills also plan to plead guilty to state charges. This trial marks the second time these three officers faced legal scrutiny; last fall, they were convicted in an unrelated federal case for witness tampering.
On January 7, 2023, the officers conducted a traffic stop that quickly escalated into violence. Nichols fled on foot after being pepper-sprayed and threatened with a taser. Graphic footage from body cameras and neighborhood surveillance captured the officers using excessive force, including restraining, kicking, punching, and striking Nichols with a baton. Tragically, Nichols went into cardiac arrest at the scene, and after being transported to the hospital, he died three days later. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
Throughout the trial, the sequestered jury from the Chattanooga area viewed video footage of the arrest multiple times, from various angles. Prosecutors argued that the officers either applied excessive force or witnessed it without intervening. They further contended that the officers failed to notify medical responders that Nichols had sustained head injuries. Over the course of about two-and-a-half days, prosecutors presented their case swiftly, calling only five witnesses, including Mills, a medical examiner, and Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells.
In her closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Melanie Headley urged jurors to pay close attention to the videos, highlighting that as Nichols struggled with his injuries before being handcuffed, he called out for help. "Who is supposed to help him? Those guys. They've got a duty. A duty to help him, and they don't," she emphasized. Headley also reminded the jury of the law of criminal responsibility, suggesting that they could convict the officers of second-degree murder based on the actions of their peers.
The defense for the three former officers countered that, while Nichols' death was indeed tragic, he posed an unknown risk to the officers when he fled the traffic stop. Each defendant brought in their own use-of-force experts to testify that the officers were justified in their escalation of force due to Nichols' resistance. They also attempted to shift some of the blame for Nichols' death onto Martin, who was seen on video delivering multiple kicks and punches to Nichols' head.
Attorneys for Smith and Bean argued that they were unable to see or intervene in Martin's actions due to the chaotic nature of the arrest and the heavy use of pepper spray. "First of all, they didn't see it and second of all, they could not let go of this suspect," Martin Zummach, representing Smith, commented. Haley, who was the last officer to arrive on the scene, claimed that his actions were necessary to help secure Nichols in handcuffs.
For the first time in court, the defense introduced evidence related to items discovered in Nichols' vehicle, including a small amount of a hallucinogenic drug and several credit and debit cards not belonging to him, which they alleged were stolen. However, the prosecution argued that the officers were unaware of the contents of the vehicle at the time of the arrest, rendering it irrelevant to their conduct. They maintained that Nichols fled due to the officers' aggressive tactics, which included forcibly removing him from his car and issuing combative threats.
