MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The latest court hearing for the man accused of ordering the hit that killed Memphis rapper Young Dolph in 2021 was reset again, but before that happened, the judge in the case told Hernandez Govan he needed to stop playing "fast and loose" with the bond stipulations.
Judge Jennifer Mitchell warned Govan that he was not following the bond conditions, after she received calls from 'concerned citizens' that he was doing interviews.
"Let me make myself extremely clear to you, that you are to not have interviews with anybody, for any reason. Your attorney has assured me that nothing was said about this case in that interview," Judge Mitchell said. "But like I said, you should not be interviewing with anyone. You should not be making any public statements and you should be in the house."
Judge Mitchell went on to tell Govan that house arrest means he stays in the house, and could not leave for any reason, including funerals. She said the bond conditions would be reviewed and reset the hearing for March 1.
Judge Mitchell took over after the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Judge Lee Coffee to recuse himself from the Young Dolph case.
Govan originally was being held in the Shelby County Jail without bond on charges of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder, and attempted murder. It was then set at $90,000 and he posted bail May 11. At the time, Judge Coffee said in court that Govan would remain under house arrest as a condition of his bond.
Court records showed the bond lowering was agreed upon by both prosecutors and Govan's defense attorneys, and was done so for Govan's safety and medical reasons, as well as the state "more clearly defining the role Govan played in the conspiracy [to kill Young Dolph]."
Shelby County D.A. Steve Mulroy said Govan was the man who ordered the hit that killed Young Dolph.
Manny Arora, who represents Govan, said while they are still in the discovery phase of the trial, it is "abundantly clear" Govan had nothing to do with the shooting which killed Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr.
The first two suspects arrested - Justin Johnson, 24, and Cornelius Smith, 32, were indicted in January 2022 on charges of first-degree murder, criminal attempted first-degree murder, unlawful carrying and possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm with intent to commit a felony, and theft of property.
Another suspect, Jermarcus Johnson, pled guilty to three counts of accessory after the fact in October, in exchange for information into other suspects in the case. He faces six to 12 years in jail.
Young Dolph was fatally shot at Makeda's Cookies on Airways Boulevard a year ago on Nov. 17, 2021. Police have said two men got out of a stolen Mercedes-Benz and fired shots into Makeda’s Homemade Cookies, where Young Dolph was making a purchase.
