The Early Word: A guilty verdict, three acquittals filed and a case dismissed

Bianca Phillips By , Daily Memphian
Published: September 27, 2024 6:21 AM CT Premium

Can you hear that? Music is in the air on this Friday, Sept. 27. The 21st Gonerfest “rock bacchanalia” (as our own Chris Herrington calls it) continues today with Memphis-based folk-psych band Aquarian Blood and Australia-based garage-punk act Gee Tee, among others. And if you’ve never heard of them, you’ve surely heard of a few of the musicians and industry folks being inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame tonight.

On Saturday, the Memphis Tigers return home after last weekend’s big loss, so maybe they’ll have better luck against Middle Tennessee. (Fingers crossed.) That game at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is happening around the same time as a sneaker-themed art show with music by Tonya Dyson, rapper Virghost and others at artist Jamond Bullock’s new Artifacts gallery in Whitehaven. Take your pick.

You can close out the weekend with even more tunes as American-Irish punk band Flogging Molly brings their “Drunken Lullabies” to the Graceland Soundstage. Sláinte! If none of that sounds good to you, get your buns out to see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which will be around town all weekend or just browse through The To-Do List for more ideas.

Justin Johnson was found guilty Thursday on all counts for the murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph in 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge, and he’ll be sentenced on Nov. 1 for other charges. The other two suspects in the killing, Cornelius Smith and Hernandez Govan, are expected to take a plea. Johnson’s attorney plans to appeal.

Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean — the former Memphis police officers on trial for Tyre Nichols’ killing — filed for acquittal on Thursday as the prosecution rested its case. Earlier in the day, an FBI agent testified that he had statements from both Bean and Smith taking responsibility for Nichols’ death. And a final prosecution witness, a former emergency room nurse at Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis, said the two officers who went with Nichols to the hospital told her they weren’t at the scene of the beating — even though it sounds like they were. The defense will resume calling witnesses today.

The family of Lisa Sloan, who died in 2021 after a 2017 car accident left her with a traumatic brain injury, got some peace on Thursday after the case against the man who hit her was finally dismissed. Cordero Ragland was driving at least 115 mph when he slammed into Sloan’s SUV, and he was facing drag-racing charges in a case that was reset more than 60 times. The case was ultimately dismissed because Ragland was left incompetent to stand trial after a jailhouse attack left him with a traumatic brain injury. But there’s hope for Sloan’s family should Ragland ever make a recovery. 

Plus the city could subpoena MATA, Bain owners buy Bob’s Barksdale and Pac-12 would have been a “really, really bad deal.”

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Bianca Phillips

Bianca Phillips

Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. She’s a diehard morning person who spends her free time running marathons and ultras. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South.”


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