Three former Memphis police officers who were found guilty on federal charges connected to the death of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black driv...
.jpg "Former Memphis police officers granted new trial in Tyre Nichols killing")
Three former Memphis police officers who were found guilty on federal charges connected to the death of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black driver, have been given a new trial.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman ordered the new trials because she found that another judge had conversations with federal attorneys without defense lawyers being present, which made it look like the judge might have been biased.
Lipman said that all of Judge Mark Norris' decisions were "careful and searching" and in line with the law, but that there should be a new trial to "satisfy the appearance of justice."
In a state trial earlier this year, the three cops who have been given a new federal trial were found not guilty of second-degree murder or any other charges.
Five black police officers hit Nichols with a stick, kicked, punched, and pepper sprayed him while he yelled for his mother on January 7, 2023. CCTV footage showed this. After three days, Nichols, who was 29 years old, died in a hospital. He loved skateboarding, taking pictures, and was a dad to a young son.
The video made people angry because it showed the latest in a long line of police killings of Black men in the US.
In the federal case from last year, Demetrius Haley was found guilty of two counts of violating civil rights and two counts of dealing with witnesses. Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith were each found guilty of one count of witness tampering.
The other two cops charged in the cases had already pleaded guilty, so they were not included in Thursday's decision.
Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. both agreed to terms of up to 40 years and 15 years, but they haven't been officially sentenced yet because the other cases are still going on.
The family of Nichols has sued the city of Memphis in federal court for $550 million.
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