Witness testimonies continue into third week of Tyre Nichols federal trial

This story will be updated throughout the day on Monday.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The federal trial for three former Memphis Police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols is moving into its third week.

After a morning delay for court motions, cross-examination of the officers’ former Scorpion Unit supervisor picked up where it left off last week.

Justin Smith’s lawyer, Martin Zummach laid out how Lieutenant DeWayne Smith trusted Justin Smith, making him Scorpion Unit 1 team leader.

Zummach said his client was even the one who turned in another officer who slapped a handcuffed suspect.

The Lieutenant said Justin Smith was a hard worker and level-headed. He was also asked about his several interviews with the FBI, admitting they were uncomfortable because the FBI was looking at charging him.

They wanted to know why he met privately with his team after Nichols’ death, and why his report said there were no policy violations. That later changed when he saw the Skycop video.

Smith said that he did not know about the Skycop camera footage until he saw it on the news after the incident, although he said he did not watch the video until he testified in front of the grand jury.

“I turned it off. I was starting to learn what actually happened. I didn’t want to see it,” said Smith. “It was surprising. They didn’t need to hit him anymore.”

Lieutenant DeWayne Smith testified on Friday that none of the five officers on the scene of Tyre Nichols’ beating informed him they had hit Nichols with a baton, punched him, kicked him, or struck him in the head. He said he was only told they had pepper sprayed and tased Nichols on the first scene.

Also on the stand, was a newer Scorpion Officer, Valandria McKinnie, who took the incident report the night of the beating.

Lieutenant DeWayne Smith informed the jury that Justin Smith wasn’t even supposed to be at work the night of Nichols’ beating, and McKinnie confirmed that when the officers got back to the station on Jan. 7, Smith was seen limping.

He’d asked for the day off but was told to come in. He’d also sustained a knee injury from a recent arrest, so he was supposed to just be working in the office.

McKinnie also testified she reported exactly what the officers involved told her.

She added that Desmod Mills texted her a picture of Tyre Nichols from the scene. A picture she did not need, so she said she deleted it.

McKinnie admitted that things were left out of her report.

“I don’t know why I was picked to do all of this,” McKinnie said. “People drive by my house cause my name is associated with it.”

The next person called to the stand was Vashtye Logan, a family friend of Demetrius Haley.

She testified that on January 7, Haley texted her a photo of Tyre Nichols leaning against the car. She said that was odd because he had never sent her photos like that.

She said Haley asked her to delete the picture but she had already done so, because she didn’t want it on her phone and “didn’t want to do this, what we’re doing right now.”

Before being dismissed, she denied knowing Nichols and also denied having an intimate relationship with Haley.

The final witness of the day was Zayid Saleem, formerly a part of MPD’s in-house counsel and currently a judicial commissioner.

He testified that officers are told that if they do not comply with the duty to intervene, they could be charged or lose their jobs.

The jury was dismissed at 5:30 p.m. Cross-examinations will resume tomorrow morning.

As the trial continues, Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pearson says he will be at the Odell Horton Federal Building this entire week and next week to support Tyre Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, and the rest of the Nichols family during this time.

“We owe them a debt of love and gratitude as a community and need to stand with them during this time just as we were after Mr. Tyre Nichols’ death,” said Pearson.

Pearson said he hopes the trial will end with guilty verdicts for all three of the accused officers.

“I hope for them all to be guilty, guilty, and guilty. What they did was heinous, horrible, and horrific. It was one of the most despicable crimes to be committed, particularly by people who are supposed to be caring about communities,” he said.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith will stand trial over the next one to two weeks on charges of federal civil rights violations, conspiracy, and obstruction in connection to Tyre Nichols’ death in 2023.

All five suspects still face an upcoming murder case at the state level. Tyre Nichols’ family also has a $550 million lawsuit pending against Memphis Police and the City.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.