A judge announced Friday that three former Memphis police officers accused of murdering Tyre Nichols will face trial in April. The case centers on the fatal beating of Nichols, 29, who died three days after fleeing a January 2023 traffic stop and suffering a brutal assault captured on police video.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, charged with second-degree murder, have pleaded not guilty in state court. During Friday’s hearing, Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. set the trial date for April 28 and scheduled a November 25 hearing to consider motions from defense attorneys seeking separate trials for the accused, AP reported.
These state charges follow the trio’s federal convictions in October for witness tampering, with Haley also found guilty of civil rights violations and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses. Sentencing in the federal case is slated for January.
The three officers, along with former colleagues Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., were part of Memphis’ Scorpion Unit, a crime suppression team disbanded after Nichols’ death. Martin and Mills, who avoided trial by pleading guilty in the federal case and testifying against their co-defendants, await sentencing. Both are also expected to enter new pleas in state court to sidestep a murder trial.
READ ALSO: Three former Memphis officers convicted on some charges in Tyre Nichols case
The tragedy unfolded when Nichols, a Black man, fled a traffic stop despite being pepper-sprayed and struck with a Taser. After officers caught him near his home, bodycam and security footage showed Nichols being relentlessly punched, kicked, and hit with a baton while crying out for his mother. The video later revealed officers standing idly, laughing, and talking as Nichols, battered and bloodied, struggled to survive.
An autopsy confirmed Nichols succumbed to head trauma, with additional injuries including brain damage, cuts, and bruises. His death ignited nationwide protests and demands for systemic policing reforms.
Meanwhile, attorneys for Bean and Smith are challenging their federal convictions, filing motions for U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris to overturn the verdicts. A decision on those motions is still pending.
