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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BFMG) — Jury selection began Wednesday in Chattanooga for the upcoming trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith face charges including second-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in connection with the fatal beating of Nichols following a traffic stop.
Due to widespread pretrial publicity in Memphis, a judge ruled last month that jurors would be selected from outside Shelby County. The process is now underway in Hamilton County, more than 300 miles away, according to the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office.
The demographic shift is notable. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Shelby County is 54% Black and 41% white. In contrast, Hamilton County is 76% white and 18% Black. Economic differences between the counties are also significant. Households in Shelby County earn an average of $62,337 annually—roughly $10,000 less than those in Hamilton County. Shelby County also has a higher poverty rate at over 18%, compared to approximately 13% in Hamilton County.
Tennessee court rules do not require outside juries to match the demographics of the original venue, only that they be drawn from the nearest jurisdiction unaffected by pretrial publicity.
Meanwhile, two former officers who pleaded guilty to related federal charges—Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr.—are expected to testify in the upcoming trial.
Martin remains in custody after violating conditions of his federal bond. His attorneys are seeking his release, though federal prosecutors are opposing it. Mills has also pleaded guilty to both federal and state charges.
The trial for Bean, Haley and Smith is scheduled to begin Monday in Memphis.
Three Former Memphis Police Officers Convicted in Federal Trial Over Tyre Nichols’ Death
A federal jury has convicted three former Memphis Police Department officers on felony charges related to the brutal beating and death of Tyre Nichols, marking the conclusion of a nearly four-week trial in U.S. District Court.
Former officers Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith were found guilty of multiple civil rights violations stemming from the Jan. 7, 2023, traffic stop that led to Nichols’ death. Two other former officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., had previously pleaded guilty to federal charges, bringing the total number of officers convicted in the case to five.
“All three former Memphis Police Department officers were convicted of federal felonies for their role in Tyre Nichols’ death,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Tyre Nichols should be alive today. We hope this prosecution provides some measure of comfort as the law enforcement officers tied to his death have been held accountable.”
The jury found that Haley used excessive force during the assault and willfully failed to intervene as Nichols was beaten by other officers. He was also convicted of deliberate indifference to Nichols’ medical needs and of conspiring to commit witness tampering. Bean and Smith were convicted for their roles in covering up the incident by providing false and misleading information to their superiors and a department detective.
According to evidence presented at trial, Nichols was pulled over during a traffic stop initiated by Martin. After Nichols fled the scene, multiple officers—including Bean, Mills, and Haley—caught up to him and violently assaulted him. Prosecutors said Nichols was pepper-sprayed, beaten with a baton, kicked in the head and body, and punched repeatedly while restrained on the ground.
Despite his critical injuries, the officers failed to render aid. Haley was also found guilty of failing to inform emergency medical personnel about the extent and cause of Nichols’ injuries, which doctors testified could have made a difference in the outcome. Nichols died three days later at a local hospital. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head.
The jury concluded that the officers violated departmental policies requiring reasonable force, intervention during excessive force incidents, and proper medical response. The court also heard testimony that Nichols posed no threat and that the officers’ actions were inconsistent with Memphis Police Department training.
“Law enforcement officers must be held to the same rules as the citizens they’re sworn to protect,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren for the Western District of Tennessee. “The defendants have been found guilty of serious federal felonies and face significant penalties for those actions.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Nashville Field Office with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
