TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Feb 20, 2023

Five former Memphis police officers pleaded not guilty Friday to criminal charges related to their involvement in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. The former officers each face one count of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, official oppression and two counts of official misconduct, the Commercial Appeal reports. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr., who is overseeing the case, asked for patience from all involved. In related news, two members of the state legislature have asked the U.S. Justice Department to open a “pattern-or-practice” investigation into the Memphis Police Department. Reps. G.A. Hardaway and Joe Towns, both Democrats of Memphis, state in a letter to the department’s Civil Rights Division that the traffic stop of Nichols appears to be part of systemic behavior.