Three former Memphis police officers were convicted Thursday in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, but were acquitted of the harshest charges they faced for a death that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.
Jurors deliberated for about six hours before coming back with the mixed verdict for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.
All of them were convicted of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating, but Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges. Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury.
Got off way too easy. The video of them beating the shit out of him and then acting like he was faking being hurt worse than he was, not caring at all, is still in my mind. These guys are monsters.
I admit to not having studied the legal intricacies here, but this seems like a nonsensical verdict to me.
