Three former Memphis police officers were convicted of witness tampering Thursday over their involvement in the 2023 killing of Tyre Nichols. The cops, however, were acquitted of the charges they faced in Nichols’ death.
After a six-hour deliberation, the jury returned with a mixed verdict for the three officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith — who were convicted of witness tampering to cover up the fatal beating. Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges, while Haley was convicted of the lesser charge of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing bodily injury.
“The guilty verdicts reached today send a powerful message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes will be held accountable under the law,” read a post-conviction statement from Nichols family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci. “Tyre’s family is relieved that all three officers were found guilty and taken into custody for their loved one’s death.”
“Tyre should be alive today, and while nothing can bring him back, today’s guilty verdicts bring a measure of accountability for his senseless and tragic death,” the attorneys continued.
The three officers had originally pleaded not guilty to charges of obstructing justice and depriving Nichols of his civil rights.
The judge will hear the defense lawyers on Monday, per CNN. For witness tampering, the three officers may face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while Haley’s civil rights charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years.
“All of them have been convicted of something, and they’re all going to jail. That’s how I feel,” Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, told reporters after the court hearing, per NBC News. “This has been a long journey for family.”
The new conviction comes about a year after Desmond Mills Jr., one of the five officers charged in Nichols’ death, pleaded guilty to federal charges, with the government asking the court to sentence him to no more than 15 years in prison.
Last year, a federal grand jury charged Mills and the other cops with using excessive force, resulting in Nichols’ death, helping each other in that excessive force, not stopping each other when the brutality became too much, and conspiring to cover it all up. Mills pleaded guilty to using excessive force and not intervening, as well as to conspiracy by withholding information from his supervisor, along with civil rights and conspiracy charges.
Footage of the early 2023 police attack showed the officers issuing Nichols 71 commands, many of which were impossible to carry out, such as showing them his hands when they were restrained and telling him to get on the ground when he already was. All five of the cops, who were fired a few weeks after the incident, initially pleaded not guilty to Nichols’ death.