The final chapter in Young Dolph’s murder case closed Friday as the last remaining defendant received his sentence nearly four and a half years after the Memphis rapper was gunned down in broad daylight.
Cornelius Smith was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a Shelby County courtroom on May 15, 2026, after accepting a plea deal that reduced his charge from first-degree to second-degree murder. Prosecutors credited his cooperation as a key factor in the outcome.
Smith, 36, was connected to the November 17, 2021, shooting at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies that claimed the life of Adolph Thornton Jr. — known to the world as Young Dolph. When the shooting video was shown in court during a previous proceeding, Smith identified himself as the first gunman to open fire, and confirmed that the second shooter was Justin Johnson. He later told the court, “I didn’t even know Dolph. I felt stupid. I knew I messed up.”…