Three former Memphis officers have been cleared of criminal charges over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were found not guilty on all state charges after a nine-day trial in Tennessee. Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, d!ed after he fled a traffic stop during which he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed, and hit with a Taser. Five black police officers caught up with him and punched, kicked, and hit him with a police baton. He died on January 10, 2023, three days after the beating, sparking nationwide protests and renewed calls for police reforms in the US.
The officers were fired Jan. 20 and charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression, and one count of aggravated assault On Wednesday, Bean, Haley, and Smith were acquitted of state charges, including second-degree murdr. After the jury's verdict was read, the defendants hugged their lawyers as relatives of the former officers cried. One relative yelled, 'Thank you, Jesus!' Martin Zummach, Smith's attorney, told The Associated Press by text: 'Its easy to defend a good person. Its nerve-racking to represent an innocent man.'
The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year, though they were acquitted of the most serious charges then, too. Two other former officers previously pleaded guilty in both state and federal court, including Emmitt Martin, who defense attorneys blamed for the majority of the violence. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Nichols' family, issued a statement expressing outrage at the outcome of the trial. 'Todays verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,' the statement reads. 'The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve.'
Memphis District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he respects the jury, but thinks the evidence was there for every charge that prosecutors brought. 'Was I surprised that there wasnt a single guilty verdict on any of the counts or any of the lesser-included offences, given the overwhelming evidence that we presented? Yes, I was surprised. Do I have an explanation for it? No.' He said he spoke to Nichols family briefly and, 'They were devastated. ... I think they were outraged, and we can understand why they would be outraged, given the evidence.' Father-of-one Nichols died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, according to an autopsy. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and elsewhere on his body. After the beating, the officers did not tell medical professionals on scene or at the hospital that they had punched and kicked Nichols in the head, witnesses said.
They also failed to tell their supervisor on the scene and write in the required forms about the amount of force used, prosecutors previously argued. The sickening ordeal was caught on police worn camera, which showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled. It showed how Nichols cried out for his mother as the officers battered him, just one block from his home.
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