A federal jury reached a verdict in the trial against three former Memphis police officers involved in Tyre Nichols’ fatal beating.
On Thursday (October 3), former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were convicted of obstructing justice by witness tampering, according to the BBC. Haley was also convicted of conspiracy to commit witness tampering.
All three former officers were acquitted of the most serious civil rights violation charges, which could have led to life sentences.
Bean, Haley, and Smith were part of a group of five officers who assaulted Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop on January 7, 2023. Nichols died days later from the injuries. The other two officers, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to federal civil rights and conspiracy charges and testified against their former colleagues during the trial.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, representing Nichols’ family, commended the jury for delivering a guilty verdict.
“The guilty verdicts reached today send a powerful message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes will be held accountable under the law,” the attorneys said in a statement.
“Tyre should be alive today,” the statement continued, “and while nothing can bring him back, today’s guilty verdicts bring a measure of accountability for his senseless and tragic death.”
The three officers convicted of witness tampering face up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced on January 22. All five officers still face state charges of second-degree murder, with no trial date set yet.
