What to know before trial of former officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death
From left to right: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith are on trial. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
The federal trial for the former Memphis Police Department officers accused in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols starts Monday, Sept. 9. Here’s a primer.
Who are the three former officers on trial?
Tadarrius Bean, 25 at the start of trial, started with MPD in August 2020. He is represented by Southaven attorney John Keith Perry.
Demetrius Haley, 31, also started with the department in August 2020. He is represented by Memphis attorney Mike Stengel.
Justin Smith, 29, began with MPD in March 2018. He is represented by Southaven attorney Martin Zummach.
Topics
Subscriber Only Memphis Police Department Tyre NicholsThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
Did you know we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization? We rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and other earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉🏽 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉🏽 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Julia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
Public Safety on demand
Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.