Current:Home > InvestOpening statements are set in the trial of 3 ex-Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death -AssetLink
Opening statements are set in the trial of 3 ex-Memphis officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death
View
Date:2025-04-13 03:13:39
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Opening statements were expected Wednesday in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged with federal civil rights violations in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers are slated to address a jury for the first time in the death of Nichols, which was caught on police cameras and intensified calls for police reform in the U.S. The trial is expected to last three to four weeks.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers agreed on the 12 jurors and four alternates on Tuesday. A pool of 200 candidates answered questionnaires ahead of jury selection. Prospective jurors answered questions from U.S. District Judge Mark Norris about whether they could be fair and impartial in the face of heavy media coverage before the trial and whether watching video of the beating would be a problem for them if they are chosen.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges that they deprived the 29-year-old Nichols of his rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering. Two others, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., have already pleaded guilty to the federal charges and could testify against their former colleagues.
Nichols, who was Black, died in a hospital on Jan. 10, 2023, three days after he was kicked, punched and hit with a police baton following a traffic stop. Police video released that month showed the five officers, who also are Black, beating Nichols as he yelled for his mother about a block from his home. Video also showed the officers milling about and talking with each other as Nichols sat on the ground, struggling with his injuries.
The officers said Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, but Memphis’ police chief has said there is no evidence to substantiate that claim.
An autopsy report showed Nichols died from blows to the head and that the manner of death was homicide. The report described brain injuries and cuts and bruises to the head and other areas.
Nichols worked for FedEx, and he enjoyed skateboarding and photography.
The three officers now facing trial, along with Martin and Mills, were fired for violating Memphis Police Department policies. They had been members of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded after Nichols’ death.
Shortly after their dismissal, the five were charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. They were then indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023.
Mills and Martin are expected to plead guilty to the state charges as well. A trial date in state court has not been set.
On Monday, the judge read a list of potential witnesses that includes Martin and Mills, in addition to two other former officers. Preston Hemphill fired his stun gun at the traffic stop scene but didn’t follow Nichols to where other officers pummeled him. Hemphill was fired. Dewayne Smith was the supervising lieutenant who arrived on scene after the beating. He retired instead of being fired.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday told reporters that Nichols’ death “never should have happened,” but that “steps have been made to improve on the circumstances in the city of Memphis and in the Memphis Police Department.”
“That family will always be forever changed because of that loss,” the Republican said when asked directly about the trial. “And we talk a lot about redemption. And what we have to hope is that the redemption that comes with justice will be executed here in this case.”
Earlier this year, Lee and Republican lawmakers clashed with Nichols’ mother and stepfather as the state repealed Memphis police reforms implemented after their son’s death. One of the voided city ordinances had outlawed so-called pretextual traffic stops, such as for a broken taillight and other minor violations.
___
Associated Press reporters Jonathan Mattise and Kimberlee Kruesi contributed from Nashville, Tennessee.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Lorde Shares “Hard” Life Update on Mystery Illness and Heartbreak
- The Games Begin in Dramatic Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Trailer
- Cowboys' Jerry Jones wants more NFL owners of color. He has a lot of gall saying that now.
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Adidas CEO doubts that Kanye West really meant the antisemitic remarks that led Adidas to drop him
- Testimony begins in officers’ trial over death of Elijah McClain, who was put in neck hold, sedated
- Why Oprah Winfrey Wants to Remove “Shame” Around Ozempic Conversation
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Judge dismisses two suits filed by man whose work as informant inspired the movie ‘White Boy Rick’
Ranking
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Retired U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier is campaigning for seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
- Having a hard time finding Clorox wipes? Blame it on a cyberattack
- Sheriff says 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Memphis jail
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Gossip Girl Alum Leighton Meester Channels Blair Waldorf in Stylish Red Carpet Look
- Pennsylvania’s Senate wants an earlier 2024 presidential primary, partly to have a say on nominees
- $100M men Kane and Bellingham give good value to Bayern and Madrid in Champions League debut wins
Recommendation
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Trump’s New York hush-money criminal trial could overlap with state’s presidential primary
Malaria is on the ropes in Bangladesh. But the parasite is punching back
No house, spouse or baby: Should parents worry their kids are still living at home? Maybe not.
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Kane Brown is headlining Summerfest 2024's opening night in Milwaukee
Fan who died after Patriots game had 'medical issue', not traumatic injuries, autopsy shows
Fishmongers found a rare blue lobster. Instead of selling it, they found a place it could live a happy life