A second former Memphis police officer changed his plea to guilty Friday in connection with alleged civil rights violations that culminated in Dyer Nichols’ murder.
The plea was changed for former officer Emmitt Martin in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Mark Norris in Memphis. Prosecutors said they would ask for a 40-year prison sentence.
The former police officer pleaded guilty to using excessive force and tampering with witnesses.
In November, another former Memphis officer, Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice. The defendant agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and commuted to 15 years in prison.
“It was good to finally hear that he pleaded guilty,” the victim’s mother, Rowan Wells, told reporters outside court. “It’s one thing for them to plead guilty. I feel like we’re going in the right direction and taking responsibility.”
The grieving mother said she had recently found an old text message which was her last exchange with Nicholas. She asks him to bring home red licorice and her son obligingly says yes.
“It’s really hard. I have four kids and one of my kids is gone now because of the Memphis Police Department,” Wells said. “Tyre was just coming home, he was minding his own business, he was coming home.”
Nichols, 29, died on Jan. 7, 2023, several days after a traffic stop at the hospital. Several Memphis police officers were caught on camera kicking, punching and beating him with batons.
The other officers — Thaddeus Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith — pleaded not guilty to federal and state charges related to Nichols. He was black. All five officers, who are black, were placed on administrative leave before they were eventually fired.
“The dominoes are starting to fall,” said family attorney Ben Crump. “We expect other authorities to do the same.”
Nichols’ killing was one of several deadly confrontations in the early 2020s that shone a new light on police use of force against black people. His name is often mentioned in the same breath as George Floyd, Brona Taylor and Dante Wright.
Officers allegedly pulled Nichols over for reckless driving, but Memphis police later said there was no evidence to warrant the stop.
Nichols fled on foot, and when officers caught up with him, the teenager was a block away from where his mother and stepfather lived.
The video shows him being kicked in the head and attacked by goons for calling his mother.
Priscilla Thompson And Associated Press Contributed.
