A former Memphis police officer changed his plea to guilty Thursday in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, becoming the first of five officers charged to reverse course. Desmond Mills Jr. entered his plea during a hearing at the Memphis federal courthouse as part of a larger agreement to settle charges in state court as well, per the AP. It wasn't immediately clear how the four other officers planned to respond. Mills pleaded guilty to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice on Thursday and has agreed to plead guilty to related state charges. Prosecutors are recommending a 15-year sentence for the former officer, although the final sentencing decision rests with the judge.
Mills and four other former Memphis Police Department officers were charged in federal court with using excessive force, failing to intervene, deliberate indifference, and conspiring to lie, as well as obstruction of justice after they were caught on camera punching, kicking, and hitting Nichols with a police baton on Jan. 7. Nichols died three days later in a hospital. The five former officers—Mills, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, and Justin Smith—pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in state court. Mills is the first to agree to change that plea to guilty.
"I join Tyre's family in saying this is a fair result, given Mr. Mills' level of involvement, and his willingness to cooperate with us," said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. "His cooperation will help us bring to justice all those criminally responsible while also identifying needs for systemic reform within the police department." US District Judge Mark Norris has scheduled a May trial for the officers in the federal case. A trial has not been set in state court. Nichols was Black, as are the five former officers. They were fired from the department, and the crime-suppression team they were part of disbanded after Nichols' death. However, members of that Scorpion unit have been moved to other teams.
(More
Tyre Nichols stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
