The former officers involved in the murder of Tyre Nichols have entered a plea of not guilty on Friday. Senior Editor James R. Sanders reports.
The five former police officers from Memphis, Tennessee who were involved in the beating death of Tyre Nichols have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and all other charges.
The accused have been charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression and one count of aggravated assault. They were relieved of their duties on January 20, 2023.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith are the former officers in question who appeared in court on Friday and entered plea via their attorneys.
RowVaughn Wells, who is Nichols’ mother, was present in court on Friday with her husband, Rodney Wells (Tyre’s stepfather), and their attorney Civil Rights lawyer Ben Crump.
“They’re going to see me at every court date — everyone — until we get justice for my son,” Nichols’ mother said at a press conference shortly after the hearing.
She said none of the officers had the courage to look her in the eye.
“I feel very numb right now,” Wells said. “And I’m waiting for this nightmare basically that I’m going through right now, I’m waiting for somebody to wake me up. I know that’s not going to happen,” she added.