Citing media coverage, man charged with killing rapper Young Dolph seeks non-Memphis jury
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man accused of killing Young Dolph cannot get a fair trial in Memphis because of intense media attention and “public visceral outrage” over the beloved rapper’s killing in his hometown, an attorney said Friday.
Justin Johnson’s attorney asked a judge to impanel a jury from outside Shelby County for the trial of Johnson and Cornelius Smith Jr. Both men have been charged with first-degree murder in the daytime ambush of Young Dolph, who was buying cookies at a Memphis Bakery when he was shot in November 2021.
Johnson’s attorney, Luke Evans, told Judge Jennifer J. Mitchell that the murder has received relentless attention from news outlets and on social media, where some commentators have called for Johnson to be lynched or killed in prison in an attempt to get revenge. not justice. .
It would be dangerous to the integrity of the trial if a jury from the Memphis area were seated and the court did not play chicken with the suspect’s rights, Evans said.
“The victim in the case is loved here,” Evans said, later adding that a “jury from somewhere else lacks that personal connection to the crime.”
Johnson and Smith have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. used to be. The rapper, producer and independent music label owner was shot while visiting his hometown to visit a sick relative and hand out Thanksgiving turkeys. .
Known for his depictions of tough street life and his independent approach to the music business, Young Dolph was admired for charity works in Memphis. Along with the Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, he donated thousands of dollars to high schools and paid rent and covered funeral costs for people in the Castalia Heights neighborhood where he grew up. A neighborhood street was named after Young Dolph after his death.
Prosecutor Paul Hagerman noted that the murder of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright – another respected Memphis figure – also received significant media attention, but the court was able to find impartial jurors for his 2022 trial. A man was found guilty of Wright’s murder in 2010.
“You’re always surprised in cases like this how many people don’t watch the news at all,” said Hagerman, the prosecutor in the Wright case.
Hagerman recommended sending questionnaires to a potential jury of about 150 to 200 people to measure the effect of news reporting and social media commentary. Once that pool is winnowed, the judge would question the remaining members of the jury pool about the media reporting.
Judge Mitchell set a hearing for February 9 to make public her ruling on the change of venue. She also moved the trial from March 11 to June 3.
Two other men were charged in the murder, shocking Memphis and the entertainment world.
Hernandez Govan has pleaded not guilty to organizing the murder. No trial date has been set for him yet. Jermarcus Johnson pleaded guilty in June to three counts of accessory after the fact in the murder by aiding Smith and Justin Johnson, his half-brother.
Jermarcus Johnson acknowledged helping the two shooting suspects communicate by cell phone while fleeing authorities, and helping one of them communicate with his probation officer.
Mitchell is the second judge to preside over the case. Judge Lee Coffee removed himself in October after being ordered to do so by a Tennessee appeals court, which questioned whether he could be impartial after failing to inform Justin Johnson’s attorney about an order that would restrict Johnson’s ability to communicate with people outside prison limited.