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Tyre Nichols was beaten, abused, and essentially left to die at the hands of five officers from the Memphis Police Department who the state of Tennessee has subsequently charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. Moreover, a federal grand jury indicted the five on charges such as deprivation of rights, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice.
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
According to AP, the jury selection for the federal trial against three of those “men”; Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith, is set to begin today as they have all pleaded not guilty to the abovementioned charges. Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III both pleaded guilty as part of their plea agreement.
200 people are expected to comprise the jury pool and the trial is expected to last upwards of one month. It goes without saying that media attention on the proceedings will be intense and BOSSIP will certainly be locked into the coverage.
Source: Jemal Countess / Getty
NPR reports that Nichols’ parents RowVaughn and Rodney Wells plan to be present and accounted for every day during this process.
“You’re the mother. You want to make sure that what they’re saying is correct and you want to make sure that everything is going accordingly,” says RowVaughn Wells. “So you have to sit there and listen, even though you don’t want to.”
The demographic breakdown of those chosen to sit on the jury will be a key piece of news that BOSSIP will be keeping a close eye on throughout the week.
