Ex-MPD Officer Charged in the Beating Death of Tyre Nichols Agrees to Guilty Plea in State Court After Pleading Guilty in Federal Court
Memphis, TN—Today (Nov. 2), Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced that ex-MPD officer Desmond Mills has agreed to plead guilty in state court for the charges the DA’s Office brought against him for the Jan. 7, 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols. This is part of a global settlement of all pending state and federal charges and comes after Mills pled guilty this morning to these federal charges at a hearing held before U.S. District Judge Mark Norris.
As part of the global settlement reached between Mills, the DA’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mills agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice, as well as related state charges related to Nichols' death. He also agreed to cooperate fully and truthfully with both the state and federal investigations, including civil rights investigations by the U.S. Justice Department.
Both federal and state prosecutors have agreed to a recommended sentence of 15 years, with the final decision to be made by Judge Norris at an upcoming sentencing hearing. After that hearing, Mills will plead guilty in state court to the state charges, at which time the DA will indicate agreement to the sentence previously reached in federal court. Any period of incarceration shall be served in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Our office has consulted with the family of Tyre Nichols, who support the above agreement.
“I join Tyre’s family in saying this is a fair result, given Mr. Mills’ level of involvement, and his willingness to cooperate with us,” said DA Mulroy. “His cooperation will help us bring to justice all those criminally responsible while also identifying needs for systemic reform within the police department.”
The DA’s office will continue its ongoing investigation and vigorously prosecute this case to ensure that justice is served.
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