A man who received a 10-year diversion for his role in a city-wide theft ring is facing time behind bars after being caught breaking into a retail store.

Kevin Wright, 57, was found unresponsive in his cell and died in the hospital Friday amid his trial on first-degree murder charges.

Julia Smith Gibbons, judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, remembers the challenges of becoming the first female judge for a trial court of record in Tennessee. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard argued “the facts of the case are so egregious” that there was no justification for bail for former Memphis Police Department officer Patric Ferguson, 32. 

The City of Memphis subpoenaed all correspondence, documents and communication between Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy and attorneys for Tyre Nichols’ estate two weeks ago.

The person contacted The Daily Memphian by email around 1 a.m. Wednesday, May 29, and wrote that they had stolen “many” identities and received money for doing so. 

Government prosecutors have chalked up the allegations as a character attack on Nichols and argued Tuesday they shouldn’t be presented before a jury. 

State Sen. Brent Taylor is asking Gov. Bill Lee to hire a former NYPD commissioner to help combat Memphis’ crime problem.

Recently obtained records show that MPD’s homicide investigator count is shrinking in a city that saw almost 400 homicides last year and where more than 100 have occurred to date in 2024.

John Gillespie questioned MPD’s policies in a Thursday news release. He and Brent Taylor sponsored the law that bans police departments from not pulling someone over when they have reasonable suspicion the person violated the law.

The Daily Memphian reviewed human resources data and the county budget to determine the number of SCSO vacancies and the amount of funding the sheriff’s office receives.

The Tennessee Highway safety office said fatalities are down 26% in Shelby County as well. 

The suit alleges the county was negligent for its role in the “hiring, training and retention” of two corrections deputies who allegedly beat an inmate at 201 Poplar.

Newly obtained records reveal when the controversial traffic ordinance was officially adopted by the Memphis Police Department.

“My father wasn’t spared, but, unfortunately, the legal system has spared you,” said Phil Trenary’s son, Pearce Trenary, during a sentencing hearing for Quandarius Richardson. “Today marks the end of a long, painful case.”

The County Commission has several Shelby County Sheriff’s Office items to vote on Monday, from emergency money for new jail door locks to calling for collaboration on what happens next at the juvenile detention center on Old Getwell Road.

The Weekly Crime Trend Report and the Crime Analytics Dashboard track Memphis Police Department data. Soon, the city intends on adding data from other entities, such as the court systems and the Shelby County DA’s Office.

Abston, 40, waived his right to a sentencing hearing and agreed to the 80-year sentence in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7 Judge Lee Coffee’s courtroom Friday, May 17. 

Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith both face charges including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the 2021 killing Memphis rapper Young Dolph.

The second defendant in the killing of Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Phil Trenary agreed to a plea deal Thursday, May 16.

The City of Memphis plans to issue up to $54 million in debt over five years to pay for police body-worn cameras, video storage and the capability that the cameras automatically start recording when an officer draws their weapon. 

Buddy Chapman looked back on his time as MPD director from 1976 to 1983 during a book signing event for his newly published book, “Call Me Director: Memoir of a Police Reformer.” 

Marquavius Williams, 31, and Ontarian Malone, 27, were indicted April 9 on six counts of leaving the scene of an accident and six counts of official misconduct.

A local man will serve two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the 2019 murders of his infant child and the child’s mother. 

Peer-guided healing circles inside the Shelby County Jail helps participating detainees work through trauma, become positive role models and learn to trust in the possibility of healing.