The fate of three former Memphis police officers charged in the beating of Tyre Nichols was in the hands of 12 people who do not live in the city as jury deliberations began Tuesday in the 29-year-old Black man’s death.
The jury began deliberating after a prosecutor and defense lawyers presented closing arguments in the trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges including second-degree murder. They already face the possibility of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year.
Nichols fled a Jan. 7, 2023, traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and punched, kicked and hit Nichols with a police baton, struggling to handcuff him as he called out for his mother near his home…