Three former Memphis police officers were convicted on federal witness tampering charges related to the 2023 beating of Tyre Nichols. Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, and Taddarius Bean faced multiple charges, including depriving Nichols of his rights through excessive force. None of the men were convicted of the charges related to deprivation of rights for excessive force, failure to intervene, or deliberate indifference, but Haley was found guilty of lesser charges tied to bodily injury. Haley was also convicted of conspiracy to witness tamper and obstruction of justice. Bean and Smith were convicted solely of obstruction of justice.
The convictions are connected to the officers' role in covering up the deadly incident, which stemmed from a traffic stop in January 2023. Nichols was pulled over for alleged reckless driving, but Memphis police later admitted there was no evidence of this claim. The beating, captured on body camera footage, showed Nichols posed no threat to the officers, leading federal prosecutor Elizabeth Rogers to accuse them of laughing while Nichols lay dying and agreeing to lie about their actions.
Two other former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to the same charges. Mills, who wept during the trial as footage of Nichols being beaten was shown, admitted to striking Nichols with a baton three times. "I made his child fatherless," Mills said in court, expressing his remorse.
Nichols died in the hospital three days after the attack due to severe head injuries. His mother, RowVaughn Wells, expressed relief at the convictions, stating, "All of them have been convicted of something, and they’re all going to jail." The officers had been members of a crime suppression unit called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded after Nichols' death.
The officers still face second-degree murder charges in state court. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy emphasized the significance of holding law enforcement accountable, stating, "The public deserves to know that those who enforce the law are not above the law."
Link: NBC News
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