Former officers federally convicted in Tyre Nichols case will not be sentenced this week
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Former Memphis Police officers convicted federally in a trial related to Tyre Nichols’ death will not be sentenced this week, as was originally scheduled.
Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith, both convicted of obstruction of justice, were set to appear before Judge Mark Norris for sentencing on Monday, June 16. Demetrius Haley, convicted of obstruction of justice and use of unreasonable force resulting in injury, was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, June 17. Two other former officers who accepted plea deals in the federal trial, Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III, filed unopposed court orders asking the judge to delay their sentencing until the following week.
That all changed when Judge Norris abruptly recused himself from the case Friday, just days before Bean and Smith were set to learn their fates.
The order of cancellation filed Monday cancelled sentence hearings for all of those officers. New sentencing dates were not immediately provided, nor was it immediately clear why Judge Norris, who presided over the federal trial, recused himself.
Court records filed Friday show that Judge Sheryl H. Lipman will, instead, oversee the former officer’s sentencing. Following each respective plea deal, prosecutors said they would request 15 years for Mills and 40 years for Martin.
Martin’s attorneys submitted documents informing the court that they plan on introducing expert testimony relating to a mental disease, defect, or condition affecting Martin. The attorneys listed five doctors who they may call to testify regarding Martin’s mental state. Testimony given during the trial suggested that Martin had made statements about feeling depressed and homicidal prior to beating Nichols.
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