3 former Memphis officers acquitted in fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he fled a traffic stop

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis officers have been acquitted (May 7, 2025) of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop. An out-of-town jury from a majority-white county found Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a trial in Memphis state court. The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted last year of some federal charges and acquitted on others. Nichols fled a 2023 traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and then fatally beat him.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis officers were acquitted Wednesday (May 7, 2025) of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop, a death that sparked nationwide protests and prompted renewed calls for police reforms in the U.S.

An out-of-town jury from a majority-white county took about 8 1/2 hours over two days to find Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a nine-day trial in state court in Memphis, which is majority-Black. After the jury’s verdict was read, the defendants hugged their lawyers as relatives of the former officers cried. Outside the courtroom, one relative yelled, “Thank you, Jesus!”

Martin Zummach, Smith’s attorney, told The Associated Press by text: “It’s easy to defend a good person. It’s nerve racking to represent an innocent man. “

The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges, though they were acquitted of the most serious charges there, too. Two other former officers previously pleaded guilty in both state and federal court, including Emmitt Martin, who defense attorneys blamed for the majority of the violence.

Bean and Smith are out on bond and under house arrest after their federal convictions. Haley is being held in federal prison.

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, fled a traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton, struggling to handcuff Nichols as he called out for his mother just steps from his home. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating.

Footage of the beating captured by a police pole camera also showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries, video that prompted intense scrutiny of police in Memphis.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Nichols’ family, issued a statement expressing outrage at the outcome of the trial.

“Today’s verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,” the statement reads. ”The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve.”

Memphis District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he respects the jury but thinks the evidence was there for every charge that prosecutors brought.

“Was I surprised that there wasn’t a single guilty verdict on any of the counts or any of the lesser-included offenses, given the overwhelming evidence that we presented? Yes, I was surprised. Do I have an explanation for it? No.”

He said he spoke to Nichols’ family briefly and, “They were devastated. … I think they were outraged, and we can understand why they would be outraged, given the evidence.”

Defense attorneys said Martin was responsible for the most violence

Former Memphis officers Desmond Mills Jr. and Martin, who were also involved in the beating, did not stand trial in state court after they agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors. They also pleaded guilty in federal court, where sentencing for all five officers is pending.

At trial, defense attorneys emphasized that Martin kicked and punched Nichols several times in the head.

The defense also seemed to score points with their use-of-force experts, who testified that the three officers on trial acted in compliance with police department policies and widely accepted law enforcement standards. Attorneys for Bean and Smith called character witnesses who testified that the men were good officers who did their job the right way.

Mills testified for the prosecution, saying he regrets his failure to stop the beating, which led to Nichols’ death from blunt force trauma. Nichols suffered tears and bleeding in the brain, Dr. Marco Ross, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, said in court testimony.

The officers had been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. In addition to beating Nichols, prosecutors also said the officers failed to intervene and failed to tell medical personnel that Nichols had been hit repeatedly in the head.

The defense argued that Nichols was resisting arrest

Mills acknowledged on the stand that he had a duty to intervene, but didn’t. He admitted Nichols never punched or kicked any of the officers.

But Mills also bolstered the defense’s case when he said Nichols was actively resisting arrest and not complying with orders to present his hands to be cuffed. Under cross-examination, he indicated he would not have struck Nichols if Nichols had put his hands behind his back. He also agreed that an officer is not safe until a suspect is handcuffed and searched for a weapon.

Zummach noted in closing arguments that credit and debit cards that did not belong to Nichols were found in his car when it was searched after the beating and said it was likely why Nichols ran from the traffic stop. Defense lawyers have argued that the fatal beating would not have taken place if Nichols had just allowed himself to be handcuffed.

“This is Emmitt Martin’s and Tyre Nichols’ doing,” Zummach said.

The jury for the state trial was chosen in Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga, after Judge James Jones Jr. ordered the case be heard from people outside of Shelby County, which includes Memphis. Defense lawyers for the officers had argued that intense publicity made seating a fair jury difficult.

In December, the U.S. Justice Department said a 17-month investigation showed the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people.

The five officers, the city of Memphis and the police chief are being sued by Nichols’ family for $550 million. A trial has been scheduled for next year.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A police training expert testifying (May 3, 2025) as a defense witness in the trial of three former Memphis officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols acknowledged that kicks and punches to Nichols’ head were unnecessary and excessive. Don Cameron took the stand Saturday in the trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges, including second-degree murder. They already were convicted of federal charges last year. Nichols fled a January 2023 traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and punched, kicked and hit Nichols with a police baton.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A police training expert testifying Saturday (May 3, 2025) as a defense witness in the trial of three former Memphis officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols acknowledged that kicks and punches to Nichols’ head were unnecessary and excessive.

Don Cameron took the stand on the sixth day of the trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges including second-degree murder. They already face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year.

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, fled a January 2023 traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and punched, kicked and hit Nichols with a police baton, struggling to handcuff him as he called out for his mother near his home.

Footage of the beating captured by a police pole camera also showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled. His death led to nationwide protests, calls for police reforms in the U.S., and intense scrutiny of police in Memphis, a majority-Black city.

The officers are charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Prosecutors have argued that the officers used excessive force in trying to handcuff Nichols. The officers also had a duty to intervene and stop the beating and tell medical personnel that Nichols had been struck in the head, but they failed to do so, prosecutors say.

Former Memphis officers Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin also were charged in the case. They have agreed to plead guilty to the state charges and are not standing trial. They also pleaded guilty in federal court, where sentencing for all five officers is pending.

Defense attorneys have sought to chip away at accusations that the officers used unnecessary force to subdue Nichols. They have argued that Nichols was actively resisting arrest by running away and failing to give his hands to officers so that he could be handcuffed. They also have argued that their use of force complied with police department policies.

Cameron was called to the stand by the defense lawyer for Haley, who was at the traffic stop and arrived at the location of the beating after Martin kicked and punched Nichols in the head as Nichols was being held by Smith and Bean.

Cameron said Nichols had not yet been handcuffed and Haley used proper force in kicking Nichols once in the arm. The veteran police trainer said Haley kicked Nichols in order to facilitate the handcuffing of Nichols by the other officers.

However, under cross-examination by prosecutor Paul Hagerman, Cameron acknowledged that the punches and kicks by Martin to Nichols’ head were unnecessary, excessive and an example of deadly force. Officers who saw those head blows had a duty to intervene and stop the beating at that point, Cameron said.

The prosecutor also asked Cameron about Haley’s comment to “beat that man” as he got out of his car and approached Nichols. Cameron said he believed Haley made the comment in order to get Nichols to comply with being handcuffed after Nichols repeatedly ignored expletive-laced orders to do so.

The defense has said that the officers’ vision was impaired because of the repeated deployment of pepper spray. Martin Zummach, Smith’s lawyer, asked Cameron if officers have a duty intervene if they don’t actually see unnecessary force being applied.

“If they can’t see it, they can’t intervene,” Cameron said.

Mills, who hit Nichols three times with a police baton, testified Tuesday that he regrets his failure to stop the beating, which led to Nichols’ death three days later from blunt-force trauma. Dr. Marco Ross, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, testified Wednesday that Nichols suffered tears and bleeding in the brain.

The five officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit that since has been disbanded. The team targeted drugs, illegal guns and violent offenders with the goal of amassing arrests, while sometimes using force against unarmed people

The trial comes months after the U.S. Justice Department said in December that a 17-month investigation found that the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Opening arguments have begun in the case of three former Tennessee police officers charged with second-degree murder charges in the beating death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. A prosecutor Monday (April 28, 2025) said that the ex-officers were frustrated, angry and full of adrenaline when they fatally beat Tyre Nichols after he ran away after a 2023 traffic stop. The three have pleaded not guilty but already face the prospect of years behind bars after they were convicted of federal charges last year. Nichols’ death led to national protests, raised the volume on calls for police reforms and directed intense scrutiny toward the police force in majority-Black Memphis.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis police officers were frustrated, angry and full of adrenaline when they fatally beat Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop in 2023, a prosecutor said Monday (April 28, 2025) during opening arguments in their trial on second-degree murder charges.

Prosecutor Paul Hagerman showed the jury video of the beating in the trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges. The three already face the prospect of years behind bars after they were convicted of federal charges last year.

A police pole camera captured the beating just steps from the home where Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, lived with his mother and stepfather. That footage led to national protests, raised the volume on calls for police reforms in the U.S. and directed intense scrutiny toward the police force in Memphis, a majority-Black city.

Police video showed officers pepper-spraying Nichols and hitting him with a Taser before he ran away from the traffic stop on Jan. 7, 2023. The five officers, who are all Black, chased Nichols and caught him just steps from his home, and then beat him as he called out for his mother. The video showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled.

Hagerman said Nichols was being held by his arms by two of the officers as he was punched and kicked and hit with a police baton. After the beating, as a severely injured Nichols sat on the ground, officers failed to tell medical personnel that Nichols had been hit in the head, the prosecutor said.

Hagerman said the officers helped each other beat Nichols to death. An autopsy showed Nichols died three days after the beating of blunt force trauma.

He said the officers had a duty to stop the beating but none of them did so. They were “overcome by the moment,” the prosecutor said.

“Nobody is going to call them monsters,” Hagerman said. “It doesn’t take monsters to kill a man.”

In his opening statement, Bean’s attorney said the officer responded to a call that police were looking for a man who had fled a traffic stop and had been pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Bean, who was not at the initial stop, saw Nichols, turned on his body camera, and chased him down, said attorney John Keith Perry.

Perry said the situation became “high risk” when Nichols continued driving for about 2 miles (3.2 km) after one of the officers turned on his vehicle’s blue lights in an attempt to stop Nichols for speeding. Nichols then failed to follow orders to give officers his hands so that he could be handcuffed, Perry said.

“He was actually resisting arrest the whole time,” Perry said, adding that the officers just “wanted to do their job effectively.”

The jury for the state trial was chosen in Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga, after Judge James Jones Jr. ordered the case be heard from people outside of Shelby County, which includes Memphis. Defense lawyers for the officers had argued that intense publicity made seating a fair jury difficult.

The officers are charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Two other officers, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., also have been charged but will not stand trial with their former colleagues. Martin and Mills are expected to change their not guilty pleas in state court, according to lawyers involved in the case. Sentencings for all five officers in the federal case is expected after the state trial.

After Nichols’ death, five officers were fired, charged in state court and indicted by a federal grand jury on civil rights and witness tampering charges.

Martin and Mills pleaded guilty to the federal charges under deals with prosecutors. The other three officers were convicted in October of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating. Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges of using excessive force and being indifferent to Nichols’ serious injuries.

Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but he was convicted of two lesser charges of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury.

In December, the U.S. Justice Department said a 17-month investigation showed the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people.

The department is more than 50% Black and Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis is Black.

The five officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit that since has been disbanded. The team targeted drugs, illegal guns and violent offenders with the goal of amassing arrests, while sometimes using force against unarmed people.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed off (March 28, 2024) on the repeal of Memphis police traffic stop reforms set in place after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by officers just over a year ago. By enacting the legislation, the Republican governor sided with GOP lawmakers who forged ahead despite pleas from Nichols’ parents to give them a chance to find compromise. Starting immediately, the law renders some of Memphis’ ordinances null and void, including one that outlawed so-called pretextual traffic stops, such as for a broken taillight and other minor violations. Nichols’ death last January sparked outrage and calls for reforms nationally and locally.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday (March 28, 2024) signed off on the repeal of police traffic stop reforms made in Memphis after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by officers in January 2023, despite pleas from Nichols’ parents to GOP lawmakers and the governor to give them a chance to find compromise.

The Republican governor’s signature means the law immediately renders some of Memphis’ ordinances null and void, including one that outlawed so-called pretextual traffic stops, such as for a broken taillight and other minor violations. Lee echoed arguments from Republican lawmakers who argued Nichols’ death needed to result in accountability for officers who abuse power, not new limits on how authorities conduct traffic stops.

“I think what’s most important for us to remember is that we can give law enforcement tools, but we’ve got to hold law enforcement to a standard of using those tools appropriately, where there’s an appropriate interaction with the public,” Lee told reporters Friday, earlier this month of his decision to sign the bill. “That’s not what we understand has happened all the time, and certainly their family would attest to that.”

To date, Lee has never vetoed a piece of legislation since taking office nearly seven years ago, only occasionally letting bills become law without signing them to send a message of his concern or disapproval. He rarely bucks his political party’s wishes, and he is notably attempting to push through a contentious universal school voucher bill where he needs Republican support in order for it to pass.

Nichols’ death last January sparked outrage and calls for reforms nationally and locally. Videos showed an almost 3-minute barrage of fists, feet and baton strikes to Nichols’ face, head, front and back, as the 29-year-old Black man yelled for his mother about a block from home.

Nichols’ parents, mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells, were among the advocates who drummed up support for the Memphis city council last year to pass ordinance changes.

Many Republican elected officials in Tennessee also joined in the public outcry over Nichols’ death at the time. The month afterward, Lee even mentioned the Nichols family in his annual State of the State speech, saying “their courage, along with the compassion shown by the people of Memphis, is a picture of hope.”

Yet the majority-white Legislature has repeatedly rebuffed many Black leaders’ call for police reforms and oversight, and instead have sided with advocates who don’t want new limits on police authority.

In recent years, lawmakers have reacted similarly when they disagree with how Democrat-voting Memphis and Nashville run their cities. They have preempted local power to undo progressive policies, took more authority over local boards, and kept a hardline approach to crime in Memphis.

Nichols’ parents, in this case, said their attempts to get the bill sponsors to commit to finding some middle ground failed, leaving them and supporters in the Memphis community feeling marginalized and discouraged. Nichols’ parents said they felt misled by Rep. John Gillespie, leading them to skip one trip to Nashville when they thought he would delay the bill. Instead, House Republicans passed it without the Nichols’ parents there. Gillespie argued it was a miscommunication.

When they returned another day for the Senate vote, Sen. Brent Taylor denied their pleas to pause the bill and try to find middle ground. RowVaughn Wells was in tears after the exchange, and the couple left before the Senate passed the bill.

They also penned a letter to Lee before he ultimately signed the bill.

“After the death of our son, you generously offered your support in our pursuit of justice,” they wrote, imploring Lee to veto the bill. “This is that moment, Governor. We need your support now, more than ever.”

Five officers, who were also Black, were charged with federal civil rights violations in Nichols’ death, and second-degree murder and other criminal counts in state court. One has pleaded guilty in federal court. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating how Memphis Police Department officers use force and conduct arrests and whether the department in the majority-Black city engages in racially discriminatory policing.

Democratic lawmakers said the bill is a slap in the face to Nichols’ grieving parents and the government in majority-Black Memphis. Some also were flummoxed that state Republicans were trying to undo changes made in reaction to Nichols’ death even while federal authorities are still broadly investigating policing and race in Memphis.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The mother of Tyre Nichols says none of the five former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers charged with killing her son would look her in the eye in court. The former officers pleaded not guilty Friday (Feb. 17, 2023) to second-degree murder and other charges. Mother RowVaughn Wells said at a news conference after the hearing that the officers will see her at every court date “until we get justice for my son.” They were fired after a police investigation into the Jan. 7 arrest and are out on bond. The case is the latest to prompt nationwide protests and renew public discussion about police brutality.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Five former Memphis police officers pleaded not guilty Friday (Feb. 17, 2023) to second-degree murder and other charges in the violent arrest and death of Tyre Nichols, with his mother saying afterward that none of them would look her in the eye in court.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith made their first court appearances with their lawyers before a judge in Shelby County Criminal Court. The officers were fired after an internal police investigation into the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died in a hospital three days later. His beating was caught on video.

At a news conference after the hearing, Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, said that the officers didn’t have the courage to look her in the eye, but that “they’re going to see me at every court date — every one — until we get justice for my son.”

“I feel very numb right now,” Wells said. “And I’m waiting for this nightmare basically that I’m going through right now, I’m waiting for somebody to wake me up. I know that’s not going to happen.”

The officers pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. They are all out on bond. Their next hearing was scheduled for May 1.

The Nichols case is the latest to prompt nationwide protests and renew an intense public discussion about police brutality. Nichols, 29, was Black. All five officers charged in his death also are Black.

Addressing the courtroom, Judge James Jones Jr. asked for everyone’s “continued patience” and ”continued civility,” stressing that “this case can take some time.”

“We understand that there may be some high emotions in this case, but we ask that you continue to be patient with us,” Jones said. “Everyone involved wants this case to be concluded as quickly as possible. But it’s important for you all to understand that the state of Tennessee, as well as each one of these defendants, have an absolute right to a fair trial.”

Bean’s attorney, John Keith Perry, spoke with reporters afterward, saying Bean was doing his job at that time and “never touched” Nichols. That assertion is contradicted by video footage.

Protester Casio Montez talked over Perry, saying Nichols’ death was murder: “You represent a murderer, bro.”

Blake Ballin, the attorney for Mills, said the process must be “based on the facts and the law, and not the raw emotions that our country is experiencing.” The public should be patient and cautious in judging his client, he said.

“Justice for Mr. Nichols will not be achieved at the expense of justice for Mr. Mills,” Ballin said.

Ballin also said the nation’s grief over Nichols’ death “absolutely should be channeled into demanding change in the way that we police our communities.”

“It’s also vital that we extend these demands to the way that we treat minorities and people of lower incomes in our criminal justice system,” Ballin said. “Let’s not forget that my client is a Black man in a courtroom in America.”

Lawyers for Martin and Smith did not immediately respond to attempts for comment. Haley’s lawyer declined to comment in an email.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman told reporters that “Memphis and the whole world needs to see that what’s right is done in this case, and it needs to happen sooner rather than later.”

Nichols’ mother and stepfather, Rodney Wells, were in court along with their lawyer, civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

“This is a glorious day,” Rodney Wells said at the post-hearing news conference. “This is the beginning of the process.”

Nichols was stopped by police for an alleged traffic violation and was pulled out of his car by officers who used profanity, with at least one brandishing a gun. An officer hit Nichols with a stun gun, but Nichols ran away toward his nearby home, according to video footage released by the city.

Officers who were part of a crime-suppression team known as Scorpion caught up with Nichols and punched him, kicked him and slugged him with a baton as he yelled for his mother.

After the beating, officers stood by and talked with one another as Nichols struggled with his injuries on the ground, video showed. One officer took photos of Nichols as he was propped up against an unmarked police car, video and records showed.

Nichols was taken to a hospital in an ambulance that left the site of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived, authorities said.

Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video footage. Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis has said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers’ response. She disbanded the Scorpion unit, which she created in November 2021, after Nichols’ death.

One other white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been fired. An additional officer who has not been identified has been suspended.

Three Memphis Fire Department employees who were present at the site of the arrest have been fired. Two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies who also were there have been suspended without pay.

Nichols’ family, their lawyers, community leaders and activists have called for changes within the Memphis Police Department on issues related to traffic stops, use of force, transparency and other policies.

Some of the relatives and lawyers have praised Davis and the department for the swiftness of their response and said it should be the standard for other investigations into police brutality.