Memphis, Tennessee — A judge ordered a new trial on Thursday for three former Memphis police officers who were convicted of federal charges in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, after defense lawyers claimed that another judge who presided over their trial was biased against the men.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith were found guilty of obstruction of justice through witness tampering in the beating death of Nichols after fleeing a traffic stop in October 2024, and U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman ordered a new trial for them.
Two other officers, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., were also charged, but both pleaded guilty prior to the federal trial.
Lipman took over the case in June after U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris, who had presided over the case and trial, recused himself just days before the five officers were sentenced.
On January 7, 2023, officers yanked Nichols from his car before pepper spraying and Tasering the 29-year-old Black man. Nichols fled, and when five Black officers apprehended him, they punched, kicked, and struck him with a police baton. During the beating, Nichols called out for his mother, who was only a few steps away from his home.
He died three days later.
A police pole camera captured video of the beating, which showed officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries.
It prompted intense scrutiny of Memphis police officers, nationwide protests, and renewed calls for police reform.
Norris was confirmed as a United States District Judge in West Tennessee in October 2018, after being nominated by President Donald Trump.
The Collierville Republican had been the Tennessee Senate majority leader since 2007. He was first elected to the body in 2000, and his district included Tipton County and a portion of Shelby County.
