Jury in Young Dolph murder trial will come from outside of Memphis, Tennessee, judge rules

Published February 9, 2024 10:36 AM

By ADRIAN SAINZ
Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has ruled that jurors in the trial of two men charged with killing Young Dolph will come from outside of Memphis because of intense media coverage of the shooting in the rapper’s hometown. Judge Jennifer J. Mitchell has decided in favor of a change of venue motion filed by Justin Johnson’s lawyer, who argued during a Feb. 2 hearing that Johnson cannot get a fair trial before Memphis jurors due to the intense media attention and “public visceral outrage” over the slaying. Johnson and Cornelius Smith Jr. have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in the November 2021 shooting. The trial is set for June 3.

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