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), Ex-officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were found guilty of one count of obstructing justice by witness tampering, per BBC. Haley was also found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit witness tampering.
All three former officers were acquitted of the most serious counts of civil rights violations that may have resulted in life sentences.
Bean, Haley, and Smith were among five officers who punched, kicked, and hit Nichols during a traffic stop on January 7, 2023. Nichols died days after the fatal beating. The two other officers, Emmit 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, praised the jury's 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."
Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, echoed the lawyers' sentiments outside the courthouse Thursday.
“This has been a long journey for our family," Wells told reporters. "I’m still in shock right now. We’re happy that they’ve all been convicted and they’ve been arrested.”
The three officers found guilty of witness tampering face up to 20 years in prison. They are set to be sentenced on January 22.
All five officers are still facing state charges of second-degree murder. A trial date for that case hasn't been set.
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