A former police officer arrested in the beating death of Memphis motorist Tyre Nichols was found guilty of civil rights abuses, while two other officers were found guilty of witness tampering Thursday. Federal court jJurors deliberated for more than five hours before convicting Demetrius Haley of excessive force resulting in injury, deliberate indifference resulting in injury, conspiracy to witness tamper and witness tampering. Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith were found guilty of witness tampering for not being truthful in the aftermath of the beating but were acquitted of the other charges, reports the Washington Post. The men still face second-degree murder charges in state court.
For three weeks, jurors watched video of the beating captured on a surveillance camera and the officers’ body-worn cameras. They heard from two accused officers who pleaded guilty, and from policing experts and current and former Memphis police officers interpreting the struggle. Marshals took the three defendants into custody. RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’s mother, and his stepfather, Rodney Wells, said they were thankful the former officers would each serve prison time in connection with the beating death. Nichols’s family and friends and local activists expressed hushed disappointment at the mixed verdict. All three officers were acquitted of the more severe charges of civil rights violations resulting in death. Antonio Romanucci, an attorney representing the family in its $550 million civil suit against the city, said he has learned to temper expectations in criminal prosecutions against police officers. "It’s harder to find cops guilty because everyone needs one and everyone knows one,” Romanucci said. “Police officers are given latitude that citizens normally don’t see." Body-camera audio captured in the aftermath of the arrest depicted the officers laughing as they recounted the beating.
Comments