MEMPHIS, Tenn. ā Three former Memphis police officers were convicted Thursday in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, but were acquitted of the harshest charges they faced for a death that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.
Jurors deliberated for about six hours before coming back with the mixed verdict for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.
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All were convicted of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating, but Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges. Haley was acquitted of violating Nicholsā civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury. He was also convicted of a conspiracy to witness tamper charge that the others were acquitted of.
The court remained silent as the verdicts were read.
The judge ordered all three officers to be taken into custody. He planned to hold a hearing Monday to hear from the defense lawyers about releasing them pending sentencing. The witness tampering charges carry possible sentences of up to 20 years in prison. The civil rights charge against Haley carries up to 10 years in prison. They had faced up to life in prison if convicted on the harshest charges.
The verdict marked a partial setback for prosecutors who were unable to land a conviction for civil rights violations for two officers who played an active role in the encounter. Jurors repeatedly watched graphic clips from police video that showed the officers punch and kick Nichols and hit him with a police baton just steps from his home, as the 29-year-old called out for his mother.
In a statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the Justice Departmentās civil rights division, said āTyre Nichols should be alive today.ā
āWe hope this prosecution provides some measure of comfort as the law enforcement officers tied to his death have been held accountable,ā Clarke said.
Bean and Smith were seen on video wrestling with Nichols and holding his arms, while also hitting him, but the jury was not convinced those actions amounted to civil rights violations. An FBI agent said Smith told him he punched Nichols, but defense lawyers argued Bean and Smith were merely slapping Nicholsā hands away as they tried to put handcuffs on him.
Rodney Wells, Nicholsā stepfather, told The Associated Press outside the courtroom: āA win is a win. Theyāre all going to jail.ā
Five officers were charged in Nicholsā death, but two pleaded guilty and testified against members of their old crime suppression unit.
Prosecutors argued that Nichols was beaten for running from a traffic stop, saying it was part of a common police practice referred to in officer slang as a āstreet taxā or ārun tax. ā They said the officers lied ā to a supervisor, to medical professionals attending to Nichols and in required written reports ā about the extent of the force they used.
āThis has been a long journey for our family," RowVaughn Wells, Nichols' mother, told reporters. "Iām actually in shock right now because I still canāt believe all the stuff thatās going on. But weāre happy that they all have been convicted and they have been arrested.ā
Smith's lawyer declined to comment. Attorneys for Bean and Haley did not respond to requests for comment.
Nichols, who was Black, ran from the traffic stop despite being hit with pepper spray and a Taser. The five officers, who were fired after the beating, also are Black.
Some of the most emotional testimony at trial came from one of the officers, Desmond Mills, who took a plea deal in which prosecutors call for up to 15 years in prison. He testified in tears that he was sorry, that he left Nicholsā young son fatherless and that he wishes he stopped the punches. Later, he testified that he went along with a cover-up in hopes that Nichols would survive and the whole thing would āblow over.ā
Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating. His son is now 7 years old.
The other officer who reached a deal with prosecutors, Emmitt Martin, testified that Nichols was āhelplessā while officers pummeled him, and that afterward the officers understood āthey werenāt going to tell on me, and I wasnāt going to tell on them.ā Under his plea agreement, prosecutors will suggest a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
Defense attorneys sought to portray Martin as a principal aggressor. Martin testified Nichols was not a threat, yet he acknowledged punching and kicking Nichols in the head.
Mills' lawyer declined to comment. Martin's attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message.
The police video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggles with his injuries. An autopsy report shows he died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and other areas.
With the federal criminal trial complete, other investigations and court action still aren't settled.
The five officers also have been 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.
The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a āpatterns and practicesā investigation into how Memphis officers use force and conduct arrests, and whether the department in the majority-Black city engages in racially discriminatory policing.
The Justice Department also has a separate review concerning use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units within Memphis police.
Pastor Earle Fisher, a Memphis activist who has long called for investigations of the city's police, said he hopes the probes "provide for us the remedies we so rightly deserve.ā
Additionally, Nicholsā mother filed a $550 million lawsuit against the city and its police chief.
Ben Crump and Anthony Romanucci, lawyers for Nichols' family, said the verdicts ābring a measure of accountability for his senseless and tragic death.ā
āOur fight for justice for Tyre is far from over,ā the lawyers said in a joint statement.
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Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press reporter Travis Loller also contributed from Nashville.