The Young Dolph murder trial reached a verdict on Thursday afternoon (September 26), as the jury found its first suspect, alleged gunman Justin Johnson, guilty. Moreover, two trials could still potentially take place for the other two defendants: Cornelius Smith (another alleged gunman) and Hernandez Govan (the alleged mastermind). Earlier today, the prosecution explained why Govan did not take the stand today. The court found Johnson, 25, guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison. However, the court has yet to determine a timeline as to Govan and Smith, a deliberative process that already saw many ups and downs throughout this trial.
"I don’t want to go into too much detail," Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy explained to reporters about Govan's absence. "But not every potential witness that we might have is necessary in a case. It’s not always necessary to bring everything you have to bear in order to prove everything beyond a reasonable doubt." Smith and Govan also face first-degree murder charges in the Young Dolph case. A fourth accomplice, Johnson's brother Jermarcus, already pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charges.
Young Dolph Murder Suspect Found Guilty
Furthermore, Johnson's lawyer Luke Evans accused the prosecution of omitting Govan's testimony because it would negatively affect their efforts in the Young Dolph case. "I don’t have the ability to wave a magic wand and give him a reduced sentence if he comes in and testify for me," Evans reportedly told the jury. "So he’s to my exclusion, to Mr. Johnson’s exclusion and to your exclusion. And if this is a truth-seeking function, why didn’t the state call him?" "He is a defendant," Paul Hagerman – Shelby County's Deputy District Attorney – retorted. "He is not a missing witness. That would be be insane," he added, defending Govan's right to not incriminate himself.
Meanwhile, Young Dolph's murder also faced some other allegations as far as who was responsible. Yo Gotti and his late brother Big Jook have been accused of being involved in this tragedy in some way. However, those remain unconfirmed and unfounded allegations at press time. We will see in due time what will happen to the other suspects in this case, and if more revelations follow.