MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wednesday, May 7, 2025

A Tennessee jury has acquitted three former Memphis police officers of all state charges — including second-degree murder — in the fatal beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, whose death after a traffic stop in January 2023 ignited nationwide protests and renewed demands for police accountability in the United States.

The verdict was delivered Wednesday afternoon following eight and a half hours of deliberations over two days by a jury drawn from Hamilton County — a majority-white county over 300 miles from Memphis — after the trial was moved due to concerns over pretrial publicity. The nine-day trial took place in a city that is nearly 65% Black.

Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were found not guilty on all counts, including aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. Upon hearing the verdict, the men embraced their attorneys as relatives wept. One relative was heard shouting, “Thank you, Jesus!”

Martin Zummach, attorney for Justin Smith, told the Associated Press via text message: “It’s easy to defend a good person. It’s nerve-racking to represent an innocent man.”

Despite their acquittal in state court, the three still face federal prison time following convictions on federal civil rights charges, although they were also cleared of the most serious charges in that trial. Two other former officers — Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. — previously pleaded guilty in both state and federal proceedings. Sentencing for all five is pending.

Nichols, a Black man and FedEx worker, died on January 10, 2023, three days after he was repeatedly punched, kicked, and struck with a baton by five Black officers from the Memphis Police Department after fleeing a traffic stop. Officers initially yanked him from his car, pepper-sprayed him, and hit him with a Taser. As he was being beaten just yards from his home, Nichols called out for his mother.

Police pole camera footage, which drew national outrage, showed officers standing around, laughing and discussing the incident as Nichols lay injured. He suffered brain bleeding, facial fractures, and blunt force trauma, according to testimony from medical examiner Dr. Marco Ross.

Despite the graphic video, the jury returned full acquittals.

“This is a devastating miscarriage of justice,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Nichols family. “The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve.”

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, whose office prosecuted the case, acknowledged he was stunned by the outcome.

“Was I surprised there wasn’t a single guilty verdict? Yes. Do I have an explanation for it? No,” Mulroy told reporters. “The Nichols family was devastated — outraged, and understandably so.”

Defense attorneys consistently argued that Emmitt Martin was responsible for the majority of the violence, asserting that their clients did not deliver the most serious blows. At trial, Martin was described as having punched and kicked Nichols in the head. He accepted a plea deal and did not testify.

Attorneys for Bean and Smith also presented use-of-force experts who claimed the officers acted within department guidelines. Character witnesses described the officers as respectful and competent professionals.

Former officer Desmond Mills Jr., who testified for the prosecution, said he regretted not intervening but also claimed Nichols resisted arrest. “He never hit or kicked officers,” Mills admitted under oath. However, he stated that Nichols refused to present his hands to be cuffed, and officers do not consider a suspect secure until they are handcuffed and searched.

Zummach cited this testimony in his closing argument. He added that credit and debit cards not belonging to Nichols were found in his vehicle, implying that this may have prompted his flight from police. “This is Emmitt Martin’s and Tyre Nichols’ doing,” Zummach declared.

The jury was selected in Hamilton County after defense attorneys argued that media saturation in Memphis, where protests erupted following the release of bodycam and pole cam footage, would prevent a fair trial.

Outside the courtroom, prosecutor Paul Hagerman confirmed that Chattanooga had the lowest rate of pretrial exposure among Tennessee’s major cities, based on an independent study.

In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published findings from a 17-month investigation into the Memphis Police Department, concluding that officers regularly use excessive force and engage in racially discriminatory practices, particularly against Black residents.

The Nichols family has filed a $550 million civil lawsuit against the five officers, the City of Memphis, and Police Chief Cerelyn Davis. A federal civil trial is scheduled for 2026.

The killing of Tyre Nichols had been compared to the 2020 death of George Floyd and had prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to renew his call for passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which remains stalled in Congress.