Three years after Young Dolph was killed, defendants face trial

The trial for some of the men accused of killing Memphis rapper Young Dolph is soon meant to begin after months of delays, resets and motions.

Scheduled to begin Monday, the trial should start nearly three years after Young Dolph was killed. A Nashville jury, once selected, will decide the guilt of the defendants.

Confusion over who exactly will be on trial Monday persisted throughout the days leading up to it. Previously, Judge Jennifer Mitchell set both Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith for trial on Sept. 23. However, as of Wednesday afternoon, online court records showed that Johnson and Smith were not set for trial on that date anymore.

Both Johnson and Smith are, however, still slated to appear in court for a report date on Monday according to those same records. The two are accused of being the ones who actually shot Young Dolph and are charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, felon in possession of a firearm, employing a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony and theft of property between $10,000 and $60,000.

Adding to the confusion is that online court records show that two other defendants, Hernandez Govan and Jermarcus Johnson, have trials set Monday. Jermarcus Johnson has already taken a plea deal.

Young Dolph, born Adolph Thornton Jr., was killed on Nov. 17, 2021, inside Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies on Airways Boulevard. Thornton would often visit Makeda’s when in Memphis, saying the cookies were “all he came for” in a video posted by the bakery prior to his death.

Word of the shooting quickly spread over social media, with users quickly believing Thornton to be the victim of the shooting at Makeda’s — even prior to Memphis police confirming the rapper’s death — when photos and videos showed his car, which sported a unique camouflaged wrap, parked outside the shop in the hours after the shooting.

An autopsy report showed that Thornton had been shot about 24 times. The report found wounds to both his back, chin, neck and of his arms.

A multi-agency manhunt was quickly launched, and the Memphis Police Department released a picture of the alleged shooters a day after Thornton was killed.

According to police, the two suspects left the shooting in a white Mercedes with tinted windows. The photos provided by police showed one suspect holding a standard pistol and the other holding what appeared to be a DRACO pistol, a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine. The gun resembles an AK-47, though it does not have a shoulder stock.

The suspects were masked in the photos shown.

The first arrest came just under a month after Thornton was killed. Smith, 32 at the time, was arrested on Dec. 9, 2021, in Southaven. He was arrested on a warrant for allegedly stealing a Mercedes. That Mercedes, according to officials, was the same one seen in the footage from the shooting.

Smith’s arrest was not initially confirmed to be connected with the Young Dolph shooting. It was not until Justin Johnson, 23 at the time, was arrested in Indiana in January 2022 that then Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich announced that a grand jury had indicted Smith.

“After a coordinated investigation by the US Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, Justin Johnson was captured today around 3:00 pm (CST) in Indiana,” Jan said. 11, 2022, US Marshals Service press release read.

Johnson was listed as a person of interest six days prior by the US Marshals, MPD and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. A $15,000 reward was offered for information that would lead to his arrest.

Also a Memphis rapper, though with significantly less name recognition than Young Dolph, Johnson also went by his rap name Straight Drop.

Both Smith and Johnson were charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony and theft of property over $10,000.

The search continued for months until a third man was arrested and indicted in connection to the shooting. Govan, a man with a history with both the Memphis and federal criminal justice system, was arrested on Nov. 10, 2022, and authorities alleged he had placed a hit on Young Dolph.

Govan was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The date of the conspiracy charge was June 1, 2021 — months before Young Dolph was killed. Officials have since alleged that the conspiracy to kill the Memphis rapper began that day.

A day after the one-year anniversary of Young Dolph’s killing, Jermarcus Johnson turned himself into police custody. Police had said earlier that day that a search was underway for him. He was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Jermarcus Johnson is Justin Johnson’s half-brother and is accused of facilitating communications along with payments for the shooting. He entered a guilty plea in June 2023. While entering the plea, prosecutors said that Jermarcus Johnson’s role was “much lesser” than the other three men indicted for the conspiracy.

“It’s typical in conspiracy cases, as the litigation proceeds, that you’ll figure out more and more and get a clearer picture of what each individual did in the conspiracy,” Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman said after the plea hearing. “With regards to Jermarcus Johnson, he had no role in the murder of Dolph before it happened. He had no role in the murder of Dolph when it happened. It was about a week or so after the murder of Dolph that he met with his brother.”

Jermarcus Johnson’s plea dropped the conspiracy charge — which carried up to 60 years in prison — in exchange for three counts of accessories after the fact. He faces 6 to 12 years for all the charges.

Part of the plea requires Jermarcus Johnson to testify against his brother and Smith if called upon by prosecutors.

Jermarcus Johnson’s plea happened in the initial criminal courtroom that the case was assigned to. Judge Lee V. Coffee was the first judge to preside over the case, though the trial will now take place before a different judge after Coffee was forced to recuse himself.

Coffee’s recusal came after he revoked Justin Johnson’s contact privileges after he was accused of recording a song over the jail phones that was later posted to YouTube. The rap song talked about Johnson’s life in jail, which Chief Jailer Kirk Fields later testified created a safety risk.

In a court order, Coffee said Johnson could only communicate with his attorney. Johnson’s attorney, Luke Evans, appealed this to Coffee in a later hearing. Coffee would ultimately restore some of Johnson’s communications, but not all of them. Evans also requested Coffee recuse himself, saying the initial court order showed bias against his client. Coffee denied that request.

Evans appealed Coffee’s denial and the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals reversed Coffee’s ruling soon after. According to the appellate court, a layperson viewing Coffee’s actions could have been construed as biased.

The case was then assigned to Mitchell’s courtroom.

Since moving to Mitchell’s courtroom, additional security has been added to those looking to attend hearings. The Shelby County Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar requires all people entering the building to walk through metal detectors and have their bags screened.

After that, generally they are allowed to walk into a courtroom.

However, Mitchell’s courtroom on the seventh floor now requires everyone to pass through another metal detector and have their bags searched. The same level of security was not present when defendants were not set to appear in court.

Mitchell would later grant a motion requesting the jury be made up of Nashville residents instead of Shelby County residents. Coffee has historically voiced opposition to using out-of-town juries.

It is unclear how long the trial will last, what witnesses will be called and if either Justin Johnson or Cornelius Smith will testify. Mitchell previously told Govan in court that he will be present for the trial.