Federal trial begins against former police officers charged in Tyre Nichols' death

Jury selection begins Monday in the federal trial of three former Memphis police officers charged in connection with the death of Tyre Nichols: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith

Nichols, 29, died several days after a January 2023 traffic stop that was captured on body camera and surveillance camera footage that allegedly showed officers repeatedly and violently hitting Nichols and walking around and talking to each other while Nichols sat injured on the ground. His fatal beating sparked protests and calls for police reform.

The medical examiner's official autopsy report for Nichols showed that he “died of brain injuries caused by blunt force trauma,” prosecutors told Nichols' family in May 2023.

Five former police officers have been charged, including Bean, Haley and Smith, who are now on trial and have pleaded not guilty, and Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III, who have pleaded guilty to some of the federal charges.

Bean, Haley and Smith are accused of violating Nichols' civil rights through excessive use of force, unlawful assault, failure to intervene in the attack, failure to provide medical attention and conspiracy to commit deceptive conduct by attempting to falsify or intentionally withhold details of the arrest in statements and from a superior officer.

Police said Nichols was stopped for reckless driving, but Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said she could not confirm this.

Although Nichols' mother said emergency responders told her her son was drunk and high, the autopsy report showed his blood alcohol level was 0.049, prosecutors said. The prosecutor told the family that was “well below the legal limit for driving.”

If convicted, he faces life imprisonment on two counts and maximum sentences of 20 years in prison on each of the other two counts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Martin pleaded guilty to excessive use of force and failure to intervene, as well as conspiracy to tamper with a witness, court records show. The other two charges will be dismissed at sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec. 5, online records show.

Mills pleaded guilty to two of the four charges: excessive use of force and failure to intervene, and conspiracy to cover up his unlawful use of force, according to the Justice Department. The government said it would recommend a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison based on the terms of Mills' plea agreement.

All five former officers face felony charges in connection with Nichols' death, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping. They have pleaded not guilty.