TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 13, 2026

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the convictions of one of the men who fatally shot Memphis rapper Young Dolph — whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. — in 2021, the Daily Memphian reports. A jury convicted Justin Johnson, known as “Straight Drop” in 2024 of shooting the rapper. He was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 35 years. Johnson appealed the conviction, challenging the prosecutors’ evidence against him. Read the appeals court opinion. Hernandez Govan, the accused mastermind of the plot to kill the rapper, was found not guilty by a jury in 2025.