Police accused of murdering young Tire Nichols plead not guilty

Memphis, Tennessee, Police Department officers accused of murder the African-American Tire Nichols, pleaded not guilty this Friday in their appearance before the authorities.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III y Desmond Mills Jr. They face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression, after carrying out a brutal beating that left Nichols dead in late January, but the five former officers denied their guilt in Criminal Court. of Shelby County, as revealed in local media.

The defendants are due back in court on May 1. After the statements, Judge James Jones urged both sides to be patient, as the case may take some time.

"We understand there may be some high emotions in this case, but we ask that you continue to be patient with us," Jones said. "Everyone involved wants this case to be concluded as soon as possible. But it is important for all of you to understand that the state of Tennessee, as well as each of these defendants, have the absolute right to a fair trial. And I will not condone any behavior that would jeopardize that right."

Helby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told CNN that one of the challenges for them will be to prove that the defendants knowingly killed Nichols, which under state law means that they "acted in such a way that they were reasonably certain that their actions could cause death."

According to him, investigators are still analyzing "people who appeared after the beating had concluded" and were "directly or indirectly involved in the death."

At the trial, the former officer's lawyer Tadarius Bean He said his client was "doing his job" at the time of the fatal encounter and has not seen any information indicating a murder was committed.

Blake Ballin, the legal representative Desmond Mills, added that the public should be patient and cautious when judging his client.

"Let's not forget that my client is a black man in a court in the United States, which is a country where black people are imprisoned at a rate five times that of white people," he said.

Lawyers entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. In Tennessee, second-degree murder is considered a class A felony, punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison.

Outside court, Nichols' stepfather, Rodney Wells, said it was "a glorious day" that marked the "beginning of the process" toward justice for his son's death.

RowVaughn Wells, the mother of the murdered young man, declared that she feels "numb" and promised to attend all proceedings in which the agents are involved "until we get justice for my son" and argued that the five agents - who appeared before the court with black masks - "they didn't even have the courage to look me in the face."

Nichols was hit and kicked repeatedly by the accused officers following a traffic stop and brief foot chase on January 7.

He was hospitalized for the beating and died three days later. The five officers, who are also black, were fired after an internal investigation and charged on January 26.