Opening statements are anticipated for Wednesday in the federal trial of three ex-Memphis police officers, charged with civil rights violations related to the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols. Prosecutors and defense lawyers are slated to address a jury for the first time in the death of Nichols, which was caught on police cameras and intensified calls for police reform in the U.S. The Associated Press reports that the trial is expected to last three to four weeks. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges that they deprived the 29-year-old Nichols of his rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering. Two others, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., have already pleaded guilty to the federal charges and could testify against their former colleagues. Nichols, who was Black, died in a hospital on Jan. 10, 2023, three days after he was kicked, punched and hit with a police baton following a traffic stop.
Video also showed the officers milling about and talking with each other as Nichols sat on the ground, struggling with his injuries. The officers said Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving, but Memphis’ police chief has said there is no evidence to substantiate that claim. An autopsy report showed Nichols died from blows to the head and that the manner of death was homicide. The report described brain injuries and cuts and bruises to the head and other areas. The three officers now facing trial, along with Martin and Mills, were fired for violating Memphis Police Department policies. They had been members of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded after Nichols’ death. Shortly after their dismissal, the five were charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. They were then indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2023. Mills and Martin are expected to plead guilty to the state charges as well. A trial date in state court has not been set.
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