Man sues City of Memphis for wrongful conviction
Artis Whitehead rejoices outside the Walter L. Bailey Jr. Criminal Justice System early in 2024 after finding out he was exonerated by Shelby County Criminal Court Division 2 Judge Jennifer Fitzgerald. Whitehead served nearly 21 years in prison for a robbery that occurred at B.B. King’s restaurant on Beale Street in 2002. (Carter Malone Group)
A man wrongfully convicted of a 2002 Beale Street robbery is eligible for compensation of up to $1 million from the state, but has to be exonerated by Tennessee’s governor before he can receive the money.
Topics
MPD Artis Whitehead Tennessee Innocence Project Erskine JohnsonAarron 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.
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