Former Memphis officers to face second trial in beating death of Tyre Nichols
Three former Tennessee police officers will face an out-of-town jury when their trial in state court starts Monday on second-degree murder charges in the beating death of Tyre Nichols after a 2023 traffic stop in Memphis.
Opening statements are expected to begin in the trial of former Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty and already face the prospect of years behind bars after they were convicted of federal charges last year.
The beating of Nichols, a Black man, was caught on police video and led to national protests, raised the volume on calls for police reforms in the US and directed intense scrutiny toward the police force in Memphis, a majority-Black city.
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 intense publicity made seating a fair jury difficult.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/former-memphis-officers-face-second-114654687.html