Memphis Ex-Officers Convicted in Tyre Nichols Death

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Facts

  • Three former Memphis police officers were on Thursday convicted on federal charges related to the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, though they were acquitted of the most serious charges in the case.[1]
  • Jurors deliberated for roughly six hours before finding Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith guilty of witness tampering. Haley was additionally convicted of violating Nichols' civil rights by causing bodily injury.[2]
  • However, all three were acquitted of the more severe charges; Bean and Smith of civil rights charges and Haley of violating Nichols' civil rights by causing death.[3]
  • The trio will be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2025, and face up to 20 years in prison for witness tampering. Haley could face a maximum of 10 years for the civil rights conviction.[4][1]
  • Two of the five officers involved in Nichols' fatal beating — Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. — took plea deals before trial in which they pleaded guilty to using excessive force and conspiring to witness tamper. While Martin faces a 40-year sentence, Mills could be imprisoned for 15 years.[5]
  • All five have also been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they have pleaded not guilty. The US Dept. of Justice is also investigating claims of discriminatory policing in the Memphis Police Department. The police department disbanded its 'Scorpion' unit that the five officers belonged to after Nichols' death.[1][6]

Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]New York Post, [3]Al Jazeera, [4]BBC News, [5]USA Today and [6]Guardian.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by USA Today. While the officers were not convicted of all the charges they faced, they will be jailed for a considerable period of time for the crimes they committed. Due process is unfolding as it should.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. Five officers beat a Black man to death. Police brutality and systemic injustice sparks outrage, but this is followed by a lack of real accountability for police. What will it take to break this cycle of violence?

Predictions