MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In a courtroom that had already seen months of grief, protest, and public scrutiny, a Tennessee jury delivered a verdict that sent shockwaves across the country: not guilty. On May 7, 2025, three former Memphis police officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith — were acquitted on all state charges in the brutal 2023 beating death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.
The verdict marks yet another chapter in a case that has galvanized national conversations about police violence, accountability, and systemic injustice — and one that civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci called a “devastating miscarriage of justice.”
“This brutal, inhumane assault was captured on video, yet the officers responsible were acquitted,” said Crump and Romanucci in a joint statement. “Tyre’s life was stolen, and his family was denied the justice they so deeply deserve. We are outraged, and we know we are not alone.”
“Let this be a rallying cry. We must confront the broken systems that empowered this injustice and demand the change our nation – and Tyre’s legacy – deserves.” – Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci
A Beating Captured, but Not Punished
The acquittal follows a seven-day state trial and more than eight hours of jury deliberation. Jurors weighed charges of second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. The officers were seen in graphic surveillance and body camera footage from Jan. 7, 2023, repeatedly kicking, punching, and striking Nichols with a baton after a traffic stop escalated into a fatal encounter.
Nichols, a FedEx employee and father, had been driving home when he was pulled over. The video, which became a rallying cry for police reform advocates, showed him attempting to comply, calling for his mother as officers restrained and pummeled him. He was left slumped and unresponsive near a police vehicle, and died three days later in a hospital.
Despite the damning video evidence, the jury found all three men not guilty. Outside the courtroom, the officers embraced their attorneys, while Nichols’s family left in silence, too devastated to speak.
Civil Rights Lawyers Denounce Verdict
Attorneys Crump and Romanucci, who represent the Nichols family, decried the decision as part of a larger pattern of failed accountability in cases of police violence — particularly those involving Black victims.
“Let this be a rallying cry,” they said. “We must confront the broken systems that empowered this injustice and demand the change our nation — and Tyre’s legacy — deserves.”
They pledged to continue pursuing justice through a pending civil trial and to advocate for lasting reforms to stop the cycle of police brutality. “We remain fiercely committed,” they added.
A Jury from Outside Memphis
To ensure impartiality, jurors were selected from eastern Tennessee’s Chattanooga area. That decision — bringing in a mostly white jury from outside Memphis — has drawn sharp criticism. Shelby County District Attorney Steven J. Mulroy expressed frustration, saying, “It’s hard for us to imagine how someone could say that none of the defendants were guilty of any of the charges.”
While declining to directly challenge the jury’s motivations, Mulroy noted the difficulty in securing convictions in police violence cases. “Our office will continue to push for accountability for everybody who violates the law — including, if not especially, those who are sworn to uphold it,” he said.
Federal Trial, Partial Accountability
Wednesday’s acquittal does not mark the end of legal proceedings for the officers. Last year, all three were convicted in federal court of witness tampering for failing to report the incident. Haley was also found guilty of violating Nichols’s civil rights by causing bodily injury, though the jury fell short of convicting any of the three for causing Nichols’s death.
Two additional officers, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Emmitt Martin, III, have pleaded guilty in the federal case. Mills also pleaded guilty in state court and testified against the others, stating: “I knew it was real bad.”
Sentencing in the federal case is expected later this year.
What the Videos Showed
Prosecutors presented hours of harrowing video evidence showing the officers using excessive force after Nichols attempted to flee the initial stop. They tackled him near his mother’s home, where he was beaten relentlessly. Prosecutors emphasized that no officer attempted to de-escalate the situation, and none rendered aid until it was too late.
Assistant District Attorney Melanie Headley told jurors during closing arguments: “Those three officers did bad things. And when Tyre cried for help, they didn’t do anything.”
The defense, however, portrayed the officers as acting out of fear and frustration in the face of a noncompliant suspect. They sought to redirect blame toward other officers, particularly Martin, who they argued was more violent.
One defense attorney went so far as to argue that Nichols had sealed his fate by fleeing the scene. “Had Mr. Nichols submitted to the officers’ questioning, in all likelihood, they wouldn’t have arrested him,” said attorney Stephen R. Leffler.
Community and National Response
The acquittals have reignited public anger in Memphis and across the country. Community leaders condemned the verdict as another example of the criminal justice system shielding law enforcement officers from consequences.
The Memphis Police Department, which fired all five officers shortly after Nichols’s death, acknowledged the pain the case has caused. “Policing in Memphis must always be ever-evolving and continuously improving,” said Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis.
Following Nichols’s death, the department disbanded the SCORPION Unit, the elite anti-crime squad to which the officers belonged, and the U.S. Department of Justice launched a pattern-or-practice investigation. That investigation found widespread instances of excessive force and discriminatory treatment — particularly against Black residents and children — in the Memphis Police Department.
More than one-third of Tennessee’s Black population resides in Memphis.
A Legacy of Demands
Tyre Nichols’s name has joined the growing list of Black men whose deaths have sparked outrage but failed to yield full accountability: Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, George Floyd. Advocates say that until deep structural reforms are enacted — including independent oversight of police departments, the end of qualified immunity, and investment in alternative public safety measures — the cycle of abuse will continue.
“We thank the Memphis community and people across the nation who have stood by Tyre’s family,” Crump and Romanucci said. “Your solidarity has been a beacon of hope in this painful journey.”
Nichols’s family has filed a civil suit against the city and police department, hoping the civil courts will do what the criminal justice system has not: deliver justice.
As the legal battles continue, so does the demand for change. “Tyre’s life mattered,” Crump said. “His death cannot be in vain.”
