TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on May 7, 2025

After almost nine hours of deliberation, the jury has returned a blanket "not guilty" verdict for three former police officers charged with killing Tyre Nichols. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith Jr. were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression under state law. The jury found all three not guilty on each count, The Commercial Appeal reports. By contrast, all three were convicted in federal court and face time in federal prison. Bean and Smith were found guilty of witness tampering and face up to 20 years in prison. Haley was found guilty on all counts and could serve a life sentence in prison. Two other former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty in the federal case to using excessive force and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses.