Former Memphis police officers acquitted of all state charges in death of Tyre Nichols

A Tennessee jury on Wednesday found three former Memphis police officers not guilty of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression for the routine traffic stop that ended in Nichols' 2023 death.

Nichols was a black man whose death spurred protests for police reform. He died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after he was allegedly beaten during a routine traffic stop on Jan. 7. 

Judge James Jones Jr. ordered the men to be immediately released after the verdict.

Five former Memphis officers were initially charged in the case, but two accepted plea deals on depriving Nichols of his civil rights in order to testify in the prosecution of Bean, Haley and Smith. All five were part of a special unit that looked for drugs, illegal guns and violent offenders.

Prosecutors attempted to argue that the former officers beat Nichols in a so-called "street tax" for running from a traffic stop. But defense attorneys argued Nichols had ignored their commands, and that they followed department policy.

Two of the three officers were convicted of one charge related to Nichols' death in October. They were convicted of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating. But Haley was convicted of witness tampering and violating Nichols' civil rights, causing bodily injury.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.