Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Marc Perrusquia

Former SCORPION supervisor had troubled past

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 06:02:14 -0600

Memphis Police Department commanders gave Lt. Dewayne Smith a sensitive assignment — overseeing members of the controversial SCORPION unit — despite a checkered past that included giving unreliable testimony in a federal drug case.

Additional Nichols’ video could be released, city attorney says

Ex-SCORPION officers transferred to MPD's Organized Crime Unit

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 10:48:19 -0600

Though SCORPION already was affiliated with MPD’s larger Organized Crime Unit, all 35 of those officers were transferred to other parts of OCU.

Questionable arrests by SCORPION unit now face dismissal

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 19:16:35 -0600

With credibility on the line for members of the Memphis Police Department’s now-disbanded SCORPION unit, attorneys anticipate mass dismissals of criminal cases filed against citizens arrested by the unit.

Swift release of Nichols' bodycam footage hasn't opened door to other MPD videos

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Sat, 4 Feb 2023 11:50:13 -0600

The quick release of footage of the Tyre Nichols’ beating is an anomaly for MPD, which has not released video or other details in a series of officer-involved shootings since November.

Suspended MPD Officer Hemphill was part of SCORPION unit

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 15:42:47 -0600

Preston Hemphill, one of two MPD officers suspended in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols in addition to five officers who have been fired, was a member of the now-disbanded SCORPION unit, court records show.

Terminated MPD officers were part of SCORPION unit

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 16:12:34 -0600

The unit identifies upticks in motor vehicle thefts and violent crime and then targets those areas with patrolling SCORPION officers.

Officer involved in Tyre Nichols' death previously accused of brutality

jbaker@dailymemphian.com (Julia Baker) — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 13:35:45 -0600

The former Memphis police officer was one of five MPD officers who faced disciplinary action and later fired following a Saturday, Jan. 7, traffic stop that led to the death of Nichols, 29, three days later.

Could MPD have jailed Cleotha Henderson sooner?

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 04:00:06 -0600

Fresh questions surface about a series of expunged burglaries linked to murder defendant Cleotha Henderson.

City denies MPD failed to properly investigate a 2021 rape allegation against Cleotha Henderson

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:47:24 -0600

A lawsuit includes a claim that had a 2021 rape been properly investigated and had Cleotha Henderson been arrested, the abduction and murder of Eliza Fletcher could have been avoided.

Judge should dismiss rape victim's suit, city attorney says

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 21:44:40 -0600

Attorneys for the City of Memphis want a judge to dismiss rape victim Alicia Franklin’s lawsuit, contending MPD owed Alicia Franklin no duty to investigate to the extent she wanted.

Victims accuse city officials of 'pattern of false statements' in rape kit lawsuit

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Thu, 1 Dec 2022 06:30:48 -0600

In a legal twist in Memphis’ rape kit lawsuit, victims cite new evidence about DNA testing that could have been used to solve sexual assaults by strangers.

Should Memphis build its own crime lab or wait on TBI staffing and pay reforms?

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 04:00:05 -0600

As the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation seeks millions of dollars to boost pay and fill crime lab staffing shortages, Memphis leaders look for answers in Nashville, Houston and other cities that built their own crime labs.

A tale of two cities: How Nashville built the crime lab that Memphis couldn’t

A tale of two cities: How Nashville built a crime lab Memphis couldn't

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 15:34:54 -0600

Following the murder of Eliza Fletcher, questions loom about MPD’s systems in investigating violent crime.

Ex-detective's testimony hangs in balance in rape kit lawsuit

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 19:31:41 -0500

As rape survivors pursue a lawsuit accusing the Memphis Police Department of negligence, the city is asking a judge to exclude testimony of a former sex crimes detective who claims MPD failed to properly investigate numbers of cases.

'I want justice' — rape victims have their day in court

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 16:49:51 -0500

Several sexual assault survivors showed up Thursday at the Shelby County Courthouse to listen to arguments in a lawsuit accusing MPD of negligence in the handling of thousands of rape cases over the course of decades.

Rape kit lawsuit against Memphis heads to hearings

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 12:40:03 -0500

Hearings will be held this week in a lawsuit filed in 2014 accusing the Memphis Police Department of negligence in the handling of thousands of rape kits.

Amended lawsuit says Henderson avoided rape charge for months despite evidence from girlfriend

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Mon, 3 Oct 2022 22:46:20 -0500

An amended lawsuit contends Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer avoided arrest for rape in 2021 despite implicating details that a second witness gave Memphis police days after the attack.

Special legislative committee to study state's rape kit backlog

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:24:23 -0500

The amount of time needed to process a rape kit at TBI’s West Tennessee crime lab in Jackson ranged from 33 to 49 weeks over the past year. The statewide backlog was up to more than 950 kits awaiting testing as of last month.

Rape victim's appearance on 'Good Morning America' prompts calls for reform

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 08:20:00 -0500

As the woman who police think was raped last year by Eliza Fletcher’s alleged killer takes her story to a national audience on ‘Good Morning America,’ community leaders are demanding answers about law enforcement’s slow-moving investigation of the 2021 rape.

Lawsuit alleges negligence by Memphis police in 2021 rape case

marc.perrusquia@memphis.edu (Marc Perrusquia) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 18:27:28 -0500

A new lawsuit against the City of Memphis alleges that MPD officers failed to follow up on leads from a 2021 rape and asserts a proper investigation might have prevented Eliza Fletcher’s death.