The trial for the three men accused of murdering Memphis rapper Young Dolph is set to begin after nearly two years. According to local news, the jury selection was completed, and the trial — which was initially set for June 3, but delayed after the defense counsel asked for more time for everyone’s experts to review information — begins today (September 23). The trial was also subject to a change of venue, bringing in a jury from outside Shelby County due to the heavy media coverage of the murder around Dolph’s hometown.
The three men are Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith Jr., who prosecutors say executed the hit on Dolph outside Makeda’s Cookies, as ordered by Hernandez Govan. Johnson and Smith were both arrested in January 2022, and each faces a charge of first-degree murder, as well as other associated felonies including theft of property between $10,000-$60,000, and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Govan was arrested in November 2022. All three men have pled not guilty to the charges against them.
A fourth man, Shundale Barnett, was also arrested in January 2022, but released on bail, and went missing shortly thereafter. Jemarcus Johnson, a fifth conspirator, pled guilty to three counts of accessory after-the-fact, and is expected to testify against the others in exchange for having his conspiracy to murder charge dropped.