Memphis, Tenn. – Three former Memphis were acquitted on Wednesday by state positions, including second degree murder, in the fatal beating of Nichols tires After he escaped a traffic stop in 2023.
A jury took about 8 1/2 hours for two days to find Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty of all charges after a nine -day trial in the state court in Memphis.
The three defendants still face the possibility of years in prison after they were condemned by federal charges last year.
Nichols, a 29 -year -old black man, fled a traffic stop after he was taken out of his car, sprinkled with pepper and hit with a taser. Five officers who are also black reached and hit him, kicked and hit Nichols with a police cane, fighting to handcuff him while calling his mother just a few steps from his house. Nichols died on January 10, 2023, three days after the beating.
The former Memphis officer, Desmond Mills Jr., who was also accused in the death of Nichols, testified as a prosecution witness.
Mills and another officer involved in the beating, ITIMT Martin, agreed to declare themselves guilty of state charges and are not in trial under agreements with prosecutors. They also declared guilty in a federal court, where the sentence for the five officers is pending.
The officers had been accused of second degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
This is a last -minute news update. The previous AP story continues.
The members of the jury deliberated for a second day on Wednesday at the trial of three former Memphis police officers accused of murder in the fatal beating of Nichols tires.
The jury of 12 people began to deliberate on Tuesday at the Tadarrius Bean trial, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who declared themselves innocent of state positions, including second degree murder. They already face the possibility of years in prison after condemned by federal charges last year.
Nichols, a 29 -year -old black man, fled a traffic stop on January 7, 2023 after he was taken out of his car, sprinkled and hit with a taser. Five officers who are also black reached and hit him, kicked and hit Nichols with a police cane, fighting to handcuff him while calling his mother near his home.
Beating Captured by a Police pole chamber He also showed the officers by moving, talking and laughing while Nichols struggled. His death led to protests nationwide, demands police reforms in the United States and an intense police scrutiny in Memphis, a black majority city.
The jury of state trial was elected in Hamilton County, which includes Chattanogo, after Judge James Jones Jr. ordered that the case of people outside Shelby County, which includes Memphis, be heard. The defense lawyers of the officers had argued that intense advertising hindered the seats a fair jury.
The officers are accused of second degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Jury members can also decide to condemn for minor charges.
Prosecutors have argued that the officers used excessive force when trying to handcuff Nichols and were criminally responsible for the actions of others. The officers also had the duty to intervene and stop the beating and tell the medical staff that Nichols had been hit in the head, but did not, said the prosecutors.
Memphis Desmond Mills Jr. officers and ITIMT Martin were also accused in the case. They have agreed to declare themselves guilty of state charges and are not in trial. They already declared themselves guilty in a federal court, where the sentence for the five officers is pending.
During the trial, defense lawyers refuted accusations that the officers used unnecessary force to submit Nichols. They argued that Nichols actively resisted the arrest when fleeing and not giving the hands to the officers so that he could be handcuffed. They also say that its use of force complied with the policies of the police department.
Mills testified that he regrets his failure to stop the beating, which led to the death of Nichols three days after Strong force trauma. Dr. Marco Ross, the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy, testified that Nichols suffered tears and bleeding in the brain.
The defense lawyers have said that the officer who acted with the greatest violence was Martin, who kicked and hit Nichols several times in the head but is not in trial.
Mills said that Nichols actively resisted the arrest and did not fulfill the orders of presenting his hands to be handcuffed. But Mills also admitted that Nichols never hit or kicked any officer.
The five officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit that dissolved after the death of Nichols. The team pointed to drugs, illegal weapons and violent criminals to accumulate arrests, while sometimes used force against unarmed people.
The trial occurs months after the United States Department of Justice said in December that A 17 -month investigation He discovered that the Memphis Police Department uses excessive strength and discriminates to blacks.
