MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three former memphis police officers charged with murder in beating Band Nichols will appear in court in April, a judge decided on Friday.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Nichols, who was punched, kicked and hit with a police baton after fleeing a traffic stop in January 2023.
During a hearing Friday, Judge James Jones Jr. scheduled . of Shelby County have their trial in state court on April 28.
The three were found guilty Oct. 3 of federal witness tampering charges in the death of 29-year-old Nichols, whose beating was captured on police video released to the public. Haley was also convicted of two federal civil rights violations and one count of conspiracy to commit witness tampering. They will be sentenced in January on the federal convictions.
The three, along with Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., were part of a crime-fighting team called the Scorpion Unit that was disbanded after Nichols’ beating.
Mills and Martin pleaded guilty prior to the federal trial, and they testified for prosecutors. Their sentence is pending. Mills and Martin are also expected to change their pleas in court, allowing them to avoid a murder trial.
Nichols, who was black, had walked away from a traffic stop despite being hit with pepper spray and a Taser. He died on January 10, 2023, three days after the assault. The five officers, who are also black, were fired and subsequently charged in the deaths, sparking national protests and calls for major changes in the police.
After officers caught up with Nichols, police body cameras and a security camera captured officers beating Nichols in a struggle just steps from his home as he screamed for his mother.
The video shows the officers walking around, talking and laughing as Nichols struggles with his injuries. An autopsy report shows that he died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, along with cuts and bruises on his head and other areas.
Attorneys for Bean and Smith have filed motions asking U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris to vacate their federal convictions. Norris has not yet ruled on the motions.