Second Officer Pleads Guilty To Some Federal Charges In Case Of Tyre Nichols

A former Memphis, Tennessee, police officer who was charged in connection with the beating death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, pleaded guilty to excessive use of force Friday, just weeks before his federal trial was slated to begin, according to authorities.

Emmitt Martin III also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to tamper with a witness. He is one of five officers originally charged in the case and the second to plead guilty before trial.

“Driven by anger, Emmitt Martin used excessive force on Tyre Nichols on January 7, 2023. Driven by fear, he tried to cover it up. Today, in open court, he accepted responsibility for what he did,” Stephen Ross, an attorney representing Martin, said in a statement to HuffPost.

Martin now faces up to 40 years in prison for failing to intervene during the assault of Nichols as well as omitting and giving false information about the incident to his supervisor.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said in a statement Friday that Martin’s plea will ”lead to a substantial and well-deserved sentence.”

“From the beginning, our office has closely coordinated our state prosecution with the federal prosecution. We expect that at the appropriate time, Martin will enter a similar plea in state court,” Mulroy said.

“This marks another important step toward closure for the family of Tyre Nichols. While today’s development is significant, there is still more work to be done. The public deserves confidence that those responsible for enforcing the law will be held accountable for excessive force.”

One other officer, Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to federal charges of obstruction of justice and excessive force in a deal with federal prosecutors on Nov. 2. Mills also faces up to 15