DOJ charging officers in Tyre Nichols' death
Former NYPD lieutenant Darrin Porcher provides insight on the case on 'America Reports.'
One of five former Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols has agreed to change his not guilty plea in state and federal court on Thursday.
Desmond Mills Jr. agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice, as well as related state charges related to death of Nichols in January, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said.
As part of the plea deal, federal and state prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 15 years, though U.S. District Judge Mark Norris will make the final decision at a later sentencing hearing. After Mills is sentenced in May on the federal charges, he will then plead guilty to the state charges.
Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy said the whole deal hinges on Mills’ full cooperation in both the state, federal criminal, and federal civil cases.
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Mills Jr. changed his plea from not guilty on federal and state charges that he violated Tyre Nichols civil rights by fatally beating him after a traffic stop in January 2023. (Shelby County Sheriffs Office via AP, File)
When reporters asked Mills' attorney, Blake Ballin, if Mills is remorseful, the attorney said "absolutely."
"I mean, from the beginning, as you heard him say, this is a man who watched this video with me and the next words out of his mouth were, ‘Oh, my God, this could have been my brother.’ He gets it," Ballin said.
Ballin said the change in Mills' plea was just the first step.
"The exceptional empathy that he's had from the beginning of this is what's driving this plea," the attorney said. "Mr. Mills is somebody who understands he did something wrong and he's taking responsibility for it. This is step one. The next step is to continue to cooperate with both the state and federal government."
Mills and four other officers – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith – were charged with excessive force and failure to intervene, deliberate indifference after being caught on video kicking, punching and striking Nichols with a baton on Jan. 7. Nichols died three days later at a hospital.
This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. Five Memphis police officers have since been charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. (Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)
The five former officers had also pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in state court.
All five men had served as part of the Memphis Police Department's now-deactivated SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit. The five former officers and Nichols are all Black.
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Nichols was pulled over in a traffic stop on Jan. 7 for alleged reckless driving. During the encounter, a "confrontation occurred," police said, which led to Nichols running away from officers.
When officers caught up with Nichols, another confrontation occurred, which led to Nichols complaining about shortness of breath, officials said.
A medical examiner's report states that the manner of death was a homicide and that Nichols died from blunt-force trauma.
This is a breaking news stroy. Check back for updates.
