Judge denies request by three former Memphis officers to have separate trials in Tyre Nichols death

By ADRIAN SAINZ
Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has denied requests by three former Memphis officers to have separate trials in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop. Lawyers for Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith had filed motions to sever their cases from Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin, arguing that they could not receive fair trials if they all face a jury together for the violent beating of Nichols on Jan. 7 that was caught on police video. Shelby County Judge James Jones issued an order Monday denying those requests, saying that severing the cases is not required to protect their rights to a “fair determination” of their guilt or innocence.