Gov. Bill Lee temporarily halts Dec. 3 execution of death row inmate Pervis Payne because of COVID-19 concerns. 

As the Memphis Police Department weighs a request by District Attorney General Amy Weirich to start sending all confirmed cases of excessive force to her office for criminal review, this hotly disputed September 2016 incident illustrates how thorny Weirich’s proposal may be.

Related Story: A third of MPD excessive force findings are reversed by commanders

Case of Memphis police lieutenant allegedly choking a woman in a bar fight is among a third of cases in which MPD commanders reversed investigators and dismissed excessive force charges.

The Tennessee Black Caucus has filed a bill seeking to protect the intellectually disabled from the death penalty. The legislation stems from the case of death row inmate Pervis Payne of Shelby County. 

Forum will be public on Hooks Institute Facebook page.

U.S. Dist. Judge Mark Norris tells parties he will rule as soon as possible over landlords’ request to at least temporarily block the CDC’s order halting evictions across the nation.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service is offering $50,000 in rewards for information in the cases of eight children who have been slain this year in Memphis.

The “reimagine policing” group is to make recommendations by the start of the new year. 

Amy Weirich fires longtime assistant prosecutor Glenda Adams amid misconduct investigation.

Shelby County Criminal Court was set to begin holding some trials next month, but now restarting jury trials is on hold until the health department issues COVID-19 safety protocols. 

Rosalyn Holmes, charged as an adult in 2018 on kidnapping and robbery charges, was kept in adult prison for 40 days without being convicted of a crime. Charges were dropped against her recently and she is moving forward with her life.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland also said on the WKNO program “Behind The Headlines” that police reform still means hiring more officers.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday, Oct. 21, that 5,500 arrests have been made nationwide, including 66 in Memphis, as part of Operation LeGend, an initiative designed to help curb violent crime in select cities.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr will be in Memphis Wednesday, Oct. 21, to discuss the federal Operation Legend initiative, which brought 40 federal agents to the city to work in conjunction with local police to combat violent crime.

The violent crime task force is forming as Police Director Michael Rallings told City Council members Tuesday that more officers means less crime. The city has already this year set a record for the number of annual homicides.

Three employees with Better Days Tax Service have been charged with wire fraud, accused of scamming $1.1 million from a COVID-19 loan relief program aimed at helping small businesses impacted by the pandemic. 

Since a mixup in evidence at the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk’s property and evidence room, a new verification procedure has been put in place to reduce the risk of such a situation occurring again. 

Former Memphis City Council member Harold Collins and Just City Director Josh Spickler said on “Behind The Headlines” that for all of the talk of changing police, MPD is still policing the way it has for decades. 

Mercy for young criminals and rehabilitation needn’t be at odds with justice for victims, but those those working with Shelby County Juvenile Court face challenges.

A “frequent flyer” with dozens of encounters with law enforcement is hit with pepper foam and denied water, even as three Crisis Intervention Team-trained officers were on the scene. 

MPD officers have been told to submit job-related social media search terms by Oct. 12. 

Sen. Katrina Robinson, accused of embezzling more than $600,000 from her business, The Healthcare Institute, now has a trial date set for Sept. 13, 2021.

Revoked driver’s licenses and open carry gun permits were two of several issues District Attorney General Amy Weirich discussed during a speaking engagement at the Frayser Exchange Club on Thursday afternoon.

Shelby County Criminal Court trials can resume in October after judges suspended trials in August because of COVID-19. 

Memphis has set a grim milestone with three months to go in 2020, as the city recorded a record-setting 229th homicide for the year with the death of a 12-year-old during a drive-by shooting in the Westwood area Monday night, Sept. 28.

Related story: Haushalter hopes COVID effort is model for other chronic city problems