The second day of the state criminal trial for the three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols began Tuesday morning, April 29.

During her first time ever on the stand, RowVaughn Wells describes the night her son, Tyre Nichols, was beaten by former Memphis police officers. “He hugged me and said, ‘I’ll see you later.’”

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Opening statements end in Tyre Nichols trial

“The facts here are a tragedy … but a tragedy does not mean a homicide,” said Michael Stengel, who represents one of the former police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols. 

“They were five Memphis police officers who were frustrated, mad and who let adrenaline overcome them,” said Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman, lead prosecutor on the case.

Here are some observations from the state courtroom, the federal trial in September 2024 and the case overall.

The two victims, both students and football players at Booker T. Washington High School, have been identified. 

The state criminal trial for three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols begins Monday, April 28.

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Who’s who in state Tyre Nichols trial

Here’s who is who in the state trial for the former Memphis Police Department officers accused in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols. The trial starts Monday, April 28.

That brings the total of homicides in Memphis just this month to at least 29, according to Memphis Police Department records, through just 26 days.

Both Memphis Police Department Chief C.J. Davis and Mayor Paul Young became emotional speaking about the violence in the city.

Downtown Memphis’ 63 artificial-intelligence-powered traffic cameras monitor activity down to the types of vehicles that pass through its streets daily and how fast they are going. The city plans to add about 200 additional cameras.

The scene of the shooting is one block away from two churches and a school.

The jury in the state criminal trial for the three former Memphis police officers charged in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols will come from Hamilton County in East Tennessee.

Two Texas men were convicted of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering related to the $773,695.45 lost by the City of Memphis during a 2022 phishing scam. 

A man wrongfully accused as a teen of murder is now suing the Memphis Police Department for $5 million.

Five people were shot, one fatally, in a shooting in the Medical District April 19. 

The jail is more packed than it has been in at least five years, and amid the crowding, more inmates are being placed on suicide watch, according to Shelby County Sheriff’s Office data.

Investigators behind a new criminal justice report talked about a way to change how cases move through the courts.

Darren Goods is a veteran former Memphis police officer who, before his retirement, was part of the police brass, including leading several specialized units that focused on violent crime.

Charges against Lori Frye, the codefendant charged in the 2021 death of Andew “Drew” Rainer, were dropped Monday, April 14.

Sunday’s shooting underscored a troubling week for gun violence in Memphis. There have been nine murders over the past seven days, according to the city’s Weekly Crime Trends report.

K. Durell Cowan, founder of Heal 901, said that, in spite of a mass shooting this week in Hickory Hill, the “proof is in the numbers” that gun violence prevention is working.

Bernice Jarrett is charged with one count of aggravated neglect of a vulnerable person and five counts of neglect of a vulnerable person.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office held a special lighting ceremony Thursday, April 10, in honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Woman charged with several counts of neglect of a vulnerable person used to own a business with her ex-husband to care for “mentally and physically disabled individuals.”