Jury in Young Dolph trial will come from outside Shelby County
“This court feels like that would be too onerous and would delay the trial,” Shelby County Criminal Court Division 10 Jennifer Mitchell said in her verbal ruling.
Julia Baker
Reporter
There are 981 articles by Julia Baker :
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February 2024
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Public Safety Sheriff’s Office is investigating itself after inmate’s death in January
The investigation comes after the Jan. 12 death of Ramon McGhee; his family stated through attorney Ben Crump that McGhee was covered in a “massive amount” of lice and bed bugs when he arrived at the hospital.
McGhee’s passing followed the 10 others who died in either of SCSO’s jails in 2023.
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Public SafetyWrongfully convicted, Artis Whitehead is free after 21 years but fettered
“You miss graduation, you miss birthday parties. You miss the little scrapes and the falls,” Artis Whitehead said of the things he missed about being a dad during the 21 years he spent in prison. “You miss being able to actually guide them.”
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Shelby County DA, others challenge state law that removes review power in capital cases
The Tennessee General Assembly passed a law in 2023 taking the power away from local DAs in collateral review of death penalty convictions and instead putting the authority in the hands of the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.
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Shelby County County Commission OKs raises for DA’s office, eliminating pay disparity
The DA’s office will now receive $991,178 for the remainder of the fiscal year 2024, which comes out of the general fund balance. Each following fiscal year, the DA’s office will receive $2.98 million.
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Public SafetyFourth-quarter data shows dip in property, overall crime
Despite a rise in violent crime, the overall crime rate fell 6.4% in the city and 7.2% in the county compared to the previous year, according to the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission.
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Public Safety Trial date for Young Dolph suspects reset
The trial for Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith initially was scheduled for March 11 in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 10 Judge Jennifer Mitchell’s courtroom.
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Public Safety Suspect in killing of Memphis pastor pleads guilty
“You took my best friend, my soulmate, the one person that understood me,” the victim’s husband told the defendant. “I will never forgive you.”
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January 2024
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Public Safety New recordings from Nichols beating reveal disturbing details
In the new footage, other MPD officers are heard describing those in the SCORPION unit as “adrenaline junkies” who are too “hands-on.” One officer is also heard saying, “It’ll be justified.”
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Public SafetyNew police union VP found career calling in ‘camaraderie of service’
John Covington was elected to the role of Memphis Police Association vice president in November and started Jan. 1.
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Public SafetyNew police union president looks to make ‘positive change’
As of Jan. 1, Sgt. Matthew Cunningham, 51, is president of Memphis Police Association, moving up from the vice president position.
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North Memphis Four injured in police shooting and pursuit
Four people, two suspects and two civilians, were noncritically injured Friday, Jan. 26, after officers shot at alleged car thieves before the suspects fled and crashed into a civilian’s car.
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Public Safety Report: DA’s office handled more than 87K cases in 13 months
“To say that that first year was a challenging one would be an understatement,” Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said.
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Metro Eight winter weather-related deaths reported in Shelby County
The causes of the deaths in Shelby County were not provided by the Tennessee Department of Health, which referred questions to local law enforcement authorities.
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Shelby CountyPay disparity in DA’s office could hamper prosecutorial abilities
Some of the 120 prosecutors working in the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office make as much as $70,000 more than their colleagues who work next to them.
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Public SafetyToo cold for crime? Wintry weather brings incident volume down
Memphis saw a 50% decrease in crime between Sunday, Jan. 14, and Tuesday, Jan. 16, from the same point in the week. Criminal incidents were down 62% from the same three-day period in 2023.
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Shelby County‘Snow Day’ has different meaning for essential services
From clearing roads to holding court, snow days come with some serious considerations and lots of detail for local government services.
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City of Memphis Cause of fire at Poplar Avenue and Highland Street Hop-In found
The Hop-In convenience store at South Highland Street and Poplar Avenue was engulfed in flames Monday, Jan. 15.
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Public Safety The Department of Justice releases a guide for specialized police units
The guide was written as part of a review from the U.S. DOJ Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, which was requested by the City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department.
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Public SafetyCan MPD break from its violent past?
There was a time when violence against suspects was talked about freely within the force, according to former and current MPD officers. Relatively recent evidence suggests that kind of culture may have continued within the department.
Related story:
What’s going on with MPD’s traffic stops? Depends on whom you ask.
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Public SafetyWhat’s going on with MPD’s traffic stops? Depends on whom you ask.
Whether Memphis City Council’s ban on pretextual traffic stops is being followed, and what will happen in the future, remains unclear.
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Public Safety Judge rejects Margolin suspect’s lower bond request after hearing new details
Shelby County Criminal Court Division 3 Judge James Jones Jr. made the ruling in Joel Bowman’s case Monday, Jan. 8, after hearing from witnesses, including the victim of the burglary and Bowman’s former basketball coach.
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Public Safety Memphis hits nearly 400 homicides in 2023
Memphis ended the year 2023 with 397 homicides, breaking the city’s previous homicide record by more than 50 additional killings.
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Public Safety Cleotha Abston will be heard by a Shelby County jury
Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7 Judge Lee Coffee made the decision during a motion hearing Wednesday, Jan. 3, after Abston’s attorney filed a change-of-venue motion, specifically requesting a jury from Davidson County.
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City of MemphisSheriff’s Office launches connected camera system
“It’s really gonna change the way we’re able to do our job,” said Lt. Jason Valentine, who leads the Sheriff’s Office’s Homeland Security department.
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