Opening statements, and the first two witnesses for the federal trial of three former MPD officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols in 2023 started Wednesday.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Opening statements were given on the third day of the Federal civil rights trial against three former Memphis Police officers accused in the beating death of Tyre Nichols.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith have all pled not guilty to various federal civil rights charges.
Just a day after the jury was selected, United States Attorney Elizabeth Rogers opened the prosecution’s statement saying that jurors could expect to see evidence in the case, warning the jurors that video evidence is graphic with “horrifying audio and terrible clarity.”
Two of the officers who previously pleaded guilty to federal charges, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., are expected to testify against their former colleagues in the upcoming weeks, Rogers said.
In her …