Former Memphis officers acquitted in state trial over Tyre Nichols’ death

Three ex-Memphis police officers were found not guilty Wednesday on all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man whose death after a violent arrest drew national outrage and reignited debate over police accountability in the United States.

A jury drawn from a predominantly white county outside Memphis deliberated for roughly eight and a half hours across two days before acquitting Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. Their trial took place in Memphis, a majority-Black city, and lasted nine days. After the verdicts were read, the defendants embraced their attorneys while some of their relatives wept. “Thank you, Jesus!” one family member shouted in relief outside the courtroom.

“It’s easy to defend a good person. It’s nerve racking to represent an innocent man,” Smith’s lawyer, Martin Zummach, told the Associated Press via text message.

Although cleared on the state level, the three men still face sentencing in federal court, where they were previously found guilty on lesser charges. Two other former officers involved in the incident, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., took plea deals and admitted guilt in both state and federal proceedings. Defense attorneys pinned most of the violent conduct on Martin during the trial.

READ ALSO: Three former Memphis officers convicted on some charges in Tyre Nichols case

Bean and Smith remain under house arrest following their federal convictions. Haley, however, is currently in federal custody.

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Nichols was initially pulled over during a traffic stop, then forcibly removed from his vehicle, pepper-sprayed, and Tasered. He fled but was soon caught and brutally assaulted, punched, kicked, and struck with a baton by five officers within shouting distance of his home. He died three days later, on January 10, 2023, from severe injuries.

Footage from a surveillance camera mounted on a police pole captured the aftermath, showing officers casually chatting and laughing while Nichols lay gravely injured, a scene that intensified scrutiny on Memphis law enforcement.

In a statement following the acquittals, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Nichols’ family, condemned the jury’s decision.

“Today’s verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,” Crump’s statement read. “The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve.”

Memphis District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he was taken aback by the complete acquittals. “Was I surprised that there wasn’t a single guilty verdict on any of the counts or any of the lesser-included offenses, given the overwhelming evidence that we presented? Yes, I was surprised. Do I have an explanation for it? No.”

He noted that Nichols’ family was “devastated” by the outcome, saying their reaction was one of outrage.

Martin and Mills, the two officers who accepted plea deals, were not tried alongside the others. During the trial, Mills testified for the prosecution, expressing regret for his failure to intervene during the attack. He admitted Nichols never fought back, yet said the man was resisting by not allowing his hands to be cuffed.

Prosecutors had accused the officers not only of delivering the fatal blows but also of neglecting to provide critical information to medical responders and failing to stop the violence. The charges included murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression.

READ ALSO: Tyre Nichols case update: Former officer sent photo of brutalized Black man to his ex-girlfriend

Medical examiner Dr. Marco Ross testified that Nichols suffered brain injuries, including bleeding and tearing, consistent with blunt force trauma.

Mills also testified that Nichols’ resistance played a role in how the situation unfolded. Under cross-examination, he acknowledged that officers are taught a suspect isn’t considered fully secure until they are handcuffed and searched. He also admitted he likely wouldn’t have struck Nichols had he complied with commands.

Zummach, in closing arguments, referenced the discovery of credit and debit cards in Nichols’ car that did not belong to him, suggesting this could explain why Nichols fled. “This is Emmitt Martin’s and Tyre Nichols’ doing,” Zummach argued.

Due to extensive pretrial publicity, the jury was selected from Hamilton County, including Chattanooga, after the presiding judge determined that seating an impartial jury in Memphis would be too difficult.

In December, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation concluded that the Memphis Police Department regularly used excessive force and disproportionately targeted Black residents.

Nichols’ family has filed a $550 million civil lawsuit against the five officers, the city of Memphis, and the police chief. That trial is expected to take place next year.

READ ALSO: Justice Department finds Memphis police engage in excessive force and racial discrimination against Black people