Tire Nichols Death: 3 officers convicted in fatal beating of Tire Nichols, 2 of them acquitted of civil rights charges

Memphis, Tennessee
AP
—

Three former Memphis officers were convicted Thursday of witness tampering in the fatal 2023 beating of Tire Nichols, and two were acquitted of federal civil rights violations in a death that sparked nationwide protests and calls for sweeping changes in policing.

Jurors deliberated for about six hours before reaching mixed verdicts for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.

They were all convicted of at least one charge, but Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges. Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights resulting in death, but was convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil rights resulting in death.

The court was silent while the verdicts were read.

The judge ordered the officers detained but planned to hold a hearing Monday to hear from defense attorneys about whether they could be released pending sentencing. The witness tampering charge carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, told The Associated Press outside the courtroom: “A win is a win. They’re all going to jail.”

Body camera video shows initial interaction with police that led to Tire Nichols’ death

Five officers were charged in Nichols’ death, but two pleaded guilty and testified against members of their old crime-fighting unit, undermining any defense strategy that would have relied on the two working together. Jurors repeatedly watched graphic clips of police videos that showed officers punching and kicking Nichols and hitting him with a police baton just steps from his home as the 29-year-old called for his mother.

Prosecutors argued that Nichols was struck because he ran away from a traffic stop, saying it was part of a common police practice known in officer parlance as a “road tax” or “walking tax.” They said the officers lied to a supervisor, medical professionals who cared for Nichols and required written reports about the level of force they used.

Nichols, a Black man, ran from the traffic stop despite being attacked with pepper spray and a Taser. The five officers who were fired after the beating are also black.

One of the most emotional statements in court came from one of the officers, Desmond Mills, who took a deal in which prosecutors are seeking up to 15 years in prison. He tearfully testified that he was sorry for the beating, that it had left Nichols’ infant son fatherless and that he wished he would stop the beating. He later testified that he agreed to a cover-up in the hope that Nichols would survive and the whole thing would “come to an end.”

Nichols died on January 10, 2023, three days after the beating. His son is now 7 years old.

The other officer who reached an agreement with prosecutors, Emmitt Martin, testified that Nichols was “helpless” when the officers beat him and that the officers later understood “they weren’t going to tell me and I wouldn’t tell on her.” As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors are proposing a prison sentence of up to 40 years.

Defense attorneys questioned whether the officers were properly trained. They also pointed to Martin, who admitted punching and kicking Nichols in the torso and head, as the main attacker.

Police video shows officers walking around and talking as Nichols battles his injuries. An autopsy report shows he died from a blow to the head. The report describes brain injuries as well as cuts and bruises to the head and other areas.

The five officers were also charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty, although Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.