MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man charged in the murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph are set to go on trial starting Monday, Sept. 23.
Justin Johnson is charged with first-degree murder, among other felonies, in Dolph's death. He is pleading not guilty.
In pretrial discussion, the prosecution asked the judge, Jennifer Johnson Mitchell, to not allow media to film the faces of family members and informed that the two first witnesses will be family members.
ABC24 reporters also saw Hernandez Govan, who prosecutors say ordered the hit on Young Dolph, walk into the courtroom shortly before 10 a.m.
Opening statements
Opening statements began shortly after 10 a.m. with prosecutor Paul Hagerman showing the jury video of the storefront of Makeda's Cookies on Airways Boulevard on the night of Young Dolph’s death.
Hagerman then talked about Dolph’s rapping career, in which Dolph addressed violence in his rapping.
He said Dolph was not interested in joining others, but had the ambition to make it on his own. Dolph wanted a record label, called Paper Route EMPIRE (PRE), to assist other artists.
Hagerman said another music label, Collective Music Group (CMG), wanted Dolph under them, but Dolph rejected.
Dolph had dis-tracks, a rap for insulting, against CMG, which made threats of violence against Dolph.
On the night of Dolph’s murder, he was with his brother, Marcus Thornton, and friend.
The video showed a car that the prosecution said was stolen. Prosecution said Cornelius Smith and Justin Johnson, who was the driver, both ran out of the vehicle and shot at Dolph. Video showed the two men seemingly firing shots at Dolph.
Prosecution said both were not professional hitmen, based on their stances. Prosecution said Marcus returned fire, hitting Smith.
Prosecution said Smith and Johnson do not know each other well, but knew each other as Smith tried to recruit Johnson, who was another young rapper.
Hagerman said someone from CMG, Big Jook, placed a $100,000 hit on Dolph.
Prosecution said Johnson would receive money and rap fame for doing the job.
The prosecutor said photos showed Johnson at a store earlier wearing similar clothing.
“They’re both guilty of murder," Hagerman said. "They’re both guilty on conspiracy to commit murder.”
“You’ll also hear it from Cornelius Smith’s mouth,” Hagerman said, indicating Smith will testify against Johnson in the trial.
This story will be updated as the trial progresses.
Live stream below
Background: What you need to know
The shooting death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph sent shockwaves throughout the Bluff City and nationwide nearly three years ago.
Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith Jr. are both charged with first-degree murder, among other felonies, in Dolph's death.
The two were originally set to head to trial June 3, 2024, but in May, the D.A.’s office said the defense counsel asked for more time for everyone’s experts to review information, and prosecutors agreed.
The trial was reset previously from March 11 to June 3, 2024. Judge Jennifer J. Mitchell took over the case after the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ordered Judge Lee Coffee to recuse himself from the Young Dolph case.
Hernandez Govan, who prosecutors say ordered the hit on Young Dolph, is also set to stand trial Monday, Sept. 23, in Judge Jennifer Mitchell's courtroom.
This all comes after a Shelby County Judge has granted a motion for a change of venue for the trial in February. That meant an outside jury is being brought in to Shelby County to hear the case, which received heavy media attention here.
Prosecutor Paul Hagerman said the change of venue would not pose an obstacle for prosecutors.
Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr., was fatally shot at Makeda's Cookies on Airways Boulevard on Nov. 17, 2021. Police said at the time two men got out of a stolen Mercedes-Benz and fired shots into Makeda’s Homemade Cookies, where Young Dolph was making a purchase. Police released photos taken from surveillance video that captured the shooting, which they said led to the arrests.
Under Tennessee law, if the suspects are found guilty of first-degree murder at trial, they could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Another suspect, Jermarcus Johnson, pled guilty to three counts of accessory after the fact in October 2023, and he faces six to 12 years in jail. If convicted, the suspects could face life in prison without parole, which, according to attorney Leslie Ballin, is now 51 years in the state of Tennessee.