Former Memphis Officer Pleads Guilty to Excessive Force in Tyre Nichols Case

Another police officer has come forward following the death of Tyre Nichols.

Former Memphis, Tennessee police officer, Emmitt Martin III, pleaded guilty to excessive use of force last Friday, which was just weeks before his federal trial was planned to begin, according to authorities and HuffPost.

Martin, according to authorities, also pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to tamper with a witness.” He’s one of the five cops charged in the case and the second to plead guilty just before the trial.

“Driven by anger, Emmitt Martin used excessive force on Tyre Nichols on January 7, 2023. Driven by fear, he tried to cover it up. , in open court, he accepted responsibility for what he did,” Stephen Ross, an attorney representing Martin, said in a statement to HuffPost.

Now, Martin faces upwards to 40 years in prison “for failing to intervene during the assault of Nichols as well as omitting and giving false information about the incident to his supervisor.”

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said that Martin’s plea will “lead to a substantial and well-deserved sentence.”

“From the beginning, our office has closely coordinated our state prosecution with the federal prosecution. We expect that at the appropriate time, Martin will enter a similar plea in state court,” Mulroy said.

“This marks another important step toward closure for the family of Tyre Nichols. While today’s development is significant, there is still more work to be done. The public deserves confidence that those responsible for enforcing the law will be held accountable for excessive force.”

Another officer, Desmond Mills, Jr. pleaded guilty to federal charges, including obstruction of justice and excessive force from a deal with federal prosecutors back on Nov. 2. Additionally, Mills faces up to 15 years in prison in the following state charges: second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, among other charges.

Still, other officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Haley, pleaded not guilty to the same federal charges and still face trial, set to start Sept. 9 in Memphis. These officers were members of a street crime task force that was disbanded following the national outrage of Nichols’ death.