Jury Selected for Tyre Nichols Murder Trial in Chattanooga

A jury from Hamilton County, Tennessee, is being selected to hear the state court trial of three former Memphis police officers—Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith—charged with second-degree murder in the 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols. The jurors will be sequestered in Memphis for the trial, which is set to begin April 28. Two other officers, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., also face second-degree murder charges but are expected to change their not guilty pleas and will not be tried alongside their former colleagues. Police video footage showed the officers beating and using a stun gun on Nichols after a traffic stop, leading to his death three days later. All five officers were fired, indicted on both state and federal charges, and Nichols' death sparked national protests and renewed calls for police reform. The trial has drawn significant attention due to the high-profile nature of the case and its broader implications for law enforcement accountability.