Current:Home > BackFederal criminal trial begins in death of Tyre Nichols with more than 200 potential jurors-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Federal criminal trial begins in death of Tyre Nichols with more than 200 potential jurors
View Date:2024-12-23 15:47:51
About 200 potential jurors crowded into the Odell Horton Federal Building in Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday as jury selection began in the federal criminal trial in the death of Tyre Nichols, who was pulled over and beaten by five now-former officers with the Memphis Police Department.
Though expected to start at 9:30 a.m. Monday, jury selection proceedings did not begin in full until just after noon, delayed mainly due to a flurry of last-minute motions filed and argued under seal.
Nichols' family, friends and a bevy of activists attended the proceedings Monday, as possible jurors were questioned by from Judge Mark S. Norris. Each juror was asked what the most important quality of a juror was and what sort of biases a juror can have.
Responses to the latter question ranged from racial and religious biases to occupational biases and holding a grudge against someone. Norris then asked the whole group if anyone was unable to move beyond those biases when making a decision. Nobody in the first group raised their hand.
The trial will see the three remaining defendants in court for three to four weeks. At the end of the trial, the jury will have to decide whether or not former Memphis police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith Jr. were guilty of violating Nichols' civil rights after the Jan. 7, 2023 traffic stop.
The three officers are charged with using excessive force, deliberate indifference, conspiracy to witness tamper and witness tampering. Two other former officers, who have since pleaded guilty, were also charged with those offenses.
The two other defendants, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty ahead of the trial. Both agreed to plead guilty to using excessive force and conspiracy to witness tamper. Mills, who pleaded guilty in November, was recommended a 15-year sentence. Martin, who pleaded guilty on Aug. 23, was recommended a 40-year sentence.
Their sentences are ultimately going to be decided by Norris. Each officer faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. There is no parole in the federal system.
veryGood! (33)
Related
- A herniated disc is painful, debilitating. How to get relief.
- Will 2021 Be the Year for Environmental Justice Legislation? States Are Already Leading the Way
- U.S. hits its debt limit and now risks defaulting on its bills
- Thinx settled a lawsuit over chemicals in its period underwear. Here's what to know
- Indiana in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings? You've got to be kidding
- Untangling Exactly What Happened to Pregnant Olympian Tori Bowie
- Inside Clean Energy: Coronavirus May Mean Halt to Global Solar Gains—For Now
- The Acceleration of an Antarctic Glacier Shows How Global Warming Can Rapidly Break Up Polar Ice and Raise Sea Level
- Eva Longoria calls US 'dystopian' under Trump, has moved with husband and son
- In a Dry State, Farmers Use Oil Wastewater to Irrigate Their Fields, but is it Safe?
Ranking
- 2 striking teacher unions in Massachusetts face growing fines for refusing to return to classroom
- A Week After the Pacific Northwest Heat Wave, Study Shows it Was ‘Almost Impossible’ Without Global Warming
- Q&A: A Republican Congressman Hopes to Spread a New GOP Engagement on Climate from Washington, D.C. to Glasgow
- Inside Clean Energy: An Energy Snapshot in 5 Charts
- Denzel Washington Will Star in Black Panther 3 Before Retirement
- At buzzy health care business conference, investors fear the bubble will burst
- Exxon climate predictions were accurate decades ago. Still it sowed doubt
- Huge jackpots are less rare — and 4 other things to know about the lottery
Recommendation
-
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul VIP fight package costs a whopping $2M. Here's who bought it.
-
New York City nurses end strike after reaching a tentative agreement
-
Inside Clean Energy: A Michigan Utility Just Raised the Bar on Emissions-Cutting Plans
-
Kate Middleton Gets a Green Light for Fashionable Look at Royal Parade
-
Teachers in 3 Massachusetts communities continue strike over pay, paid parental leave
-
Bindi Irwin Shares How She Honors Her Late Dad Steve Irwin Every Day
-
How Capturing Floodwaters Can Reduce Flooding and Combat Drought
-
As Biden Eyes a Conservation Plan, Activists Fear Low-Income Communities and People of Color Could Be Left Out