Trial date set for 4 former Memphis officers charged in Nichols case

Jerrita Patterson
·1 min read
17

Watch the court hearing in the video player above.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — The trial for four of the five former Memphis Police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols will start on August 12, 2024, a judge said Monday.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith appeared in court Monday morning. This comes after the fifth officer, Desmond Mills, changed his plea to guilty last week.

► Tyre Nichols and Memphis Police: What we Know

Last week, Mills agreed to plead guilty to federal and state charges in Nichols’ death. He said in court, “My use of force was excessive on Mr. Nichols and I did make misleading statements.”

As part of Mills’ plea, he is required to cooperate with investigators. Both federal and state prosecutors have agreed to a recommended sentence of 15 years.

William Massey, defense attorney for Emmitt Martin, said after Monday’s court appearance that he is looking into whether a change of venue might be needed for his client.

“We don’t want it to be, but it may,” Massey said.

When the case does goes to trial, state prosecutors say they don’t expect it to last as long as the defense has predicted.

“The proof is pretty simple. We saw it, and you saw it for yourselves,” said Paul Hagerman, Shelby County Assistant D.A. “Defense attorneys estimated a month-long trial, maybe it will be somewhere in between.”

Dec. 4 is the next time we could see the former officers back in court. The judge set that date for the conclusion of any discovery — which is essentially evidence — to be presented.

Also present Monday were the parents of Tyre Nichols, who left the moment court went into recess.

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