Judge sets trial in April for three former police officers charged with murder in Tire Nichols beating

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A judge ruled Friday that three former Memphis police officers accused of murder in the beating of Tire Nichols will stand trial in April.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges in the death of Nichols, who was punched, kicked and hit with a police baton after fleeing a traffic stop in January 2023.

At a hearing Friday, Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. It was decided to postpone the hearings in the state court to April 28.

The three were convicted Oct. 3 on federal witness tampering charges in the death of 29-year-old Nichols, whose beating was captured on video made public by police. Haley was also convicted on two federal civil rights violations and conspiracy to commit witness tampering charges. They are scheduled to be sentenced for their federal convictions in January.

Three of them, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr. He was part of a crime-suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded following the beating of Nichols.

Mills and Martin pleaded guilty before the federal trial and testified on behalf of prosecutors. Their sentences continue. Mills and Martin are also expected to change their pleas in state court, allowing them to avoid a murder trial.

Nichols, who was black, fled the traffic stop despite being hit with pepper spray and a stun gun. He died on January 10, 2023, three days after the beating. The firing and later charging of five police officers, who were also black, in the death sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.

After officers caught up with Nichols, police body cameras and surveillance video captured officers beating him during a fight just feet away from his home as Nichols yelled at his mother.

In the video, officers can be seen walking around, talking and laughing as Nichols struggles with his injuries. According to the autopsy report, he died as a result of blows to his head. The report describes cuts and bruises on his head and other areas, as well as brain injuries.

Lawyers for Bean and Smith have filed motions asking U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris to vacate the federal convictions. Norris did not rule on the motions.