Jury Acquits Three Former Police Officers of State Charges in Death of Tyre Nichols

Three former police officers in Memphis, Tenn., were acquitted of state charges on Wednesday, more than two years after they were accused of brutally beating Tyre Nichols and causing his death.

The jury found the three defendants — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith — not guilty on all seven charges after deliberating for over eight hours. The charges included second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. The trial was held in Memphis for nine days.

The three men still face time in prison after their conviction on witness tampering in a separate federal trial last fall, although they were acquitted of the more serious charges in that case as well. They are expected to be sentenced in the federal case next month.