We’ve seen this movie before, unfortunately. On Wednesday, three former Memphis police officers who were accused in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were acquitted, leaving his family angry and confused as to how jurors could believe they were not responsible for his death— even when a federal jury did.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, Jr., had been charged with multiple felonies. They were three of five officers who encountered Nichols, 29, during a traffic stop. As a result of the conflict, which was captured in an infuriating video, he died three days later.
If we’re being honest, in an environment in which Donald Trump were not president, it’s questionable that there would have been a different state verdict than a federal one. The federal trial took place last year, but in January, we got a different Department of Justice that does not seem friendly toward the frustrations of Black people. Federal pardons are within Trump’s purview, and he has made no secret of his willingness to pardon those he thinks should be freed — even murderers — and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he does it for these ex-cops.
But there are some things you should know about the outcome of the state trial.
The shocking acquittal
Bean, Haley, and Smith all walked on each charge, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated kidnapping, plus several lesser charges. Ben Crump, Nichols’ family attorney, called the verdict a “miscarriage of justice” and said the world watched him beaten to death by the officers. “Tyre’s life was stolen, and his family was denied the justice they so deeply deserve,” he said in a statement. “We are outraged, and we know we are not alone.”
The jury
The jury was all-white (surprise, surprise), and the trial took place in Hamilton County, a majority white area. Five years ago, the county’s district attorney general requested an investigation into the beating of a Black man by Hamily County police officers. The judge in the Nichols case allowed selection of a jury outside Shelby County because of the difficulty of an impartial trial.
Even the mayor of Memphis spoke out
The city of Memphis itself is so shocked that the mayor had to show empathy to the family. “Today, my prayers are with the Nichols family and our entire city,” said Mayor Paul Young in a video statement. “I understand the pain we’re feeling as a life was lost at the hands of officers whose actions don’t reflect the values of our Memphis Police Department. Memphis is still healing, and healing demands that we work together.”
Federal charges and the two other suspects
The three men, along with two others, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills, Jr., have already been found guilty on federal charges, but sentencing was waiting on the outcome of the state trial. Because of a plea, Mills will serve his federal and state sentences concurrently. It is undetermined how Martin’s will shake out.
The civil case
There’s still a civil case against the former officers that has been waiting on the outcome of the criminal trials. Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, has filed suit against the city and Memphis police for $550 million, which a judge has rescheduled for July 2026. Neither she, nor the family, have spoken publicly yet about Wednesday’s verdict.