Two Men Indicted in Killing of Young Dolph Set for Arraignment Today in Criminal Court

Jan. 18, 2022 – Two Memphis men – Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith - indicted in the November shooting death of local rapper Young Dolph are scheduled to be arraigned today in Criminal Court, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

     Johnson, 23, a Memphis rapper known as Straight Drop, and Smith, 32, have been indicted on counts of first-degree premeditated murder, attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, and theft of property over $10,000.

     The victim in the attempted murder count is Young Dolph’s brother, who was with him at the time of the shooting. The theft count relates to the getaway vehicle used in the shooting, a vehicle that had been taken in a carjacking a week earlier.

     Both defendants are being held without bond in the Shelby County Jail.

     Johnson was arrested last week near Indianapolis after the U.S. Marshals Service received a tip that he was traveling on a highway near Brazil, Ind., just east of Terre Haute. He and a passenger were taken into custody without incident.

     Johnson waived extradition and was returned to Memphis last Thursday. Smith was extradited last week from DeSoto County, Miss., where had been held on a theft charge since Dec. 9.

    Both defendants have criminal histories.

    Smith was convicted in 2011 of attempted aggravated robbery and was sentenced to three years in prison. In 2018 he was charged with aggravated kidnapping in a domestic violence case, but a grand jury declined to indict.

   Johnson also faces charges of violation of supervised release on a 2019 federal gun conviction and violation of the Violent Juvenile Sex Offender Registry for an aggravated rape and aggravated robbery case handled in Juvenile Court in 2015 at age 17. A petition by prosecutors to have him tried as an adult was denied by a judge following a transfer hearing. He was placed in state custody and was released before his 19th birthday.      

   On Jan. 31, 2017, Johnson, then 18, fired an assault into a group of people at a bowling alley, striking three people. He was arrested 10 days later and was held on $250,000 bond. Then, on:

·        May 2, 2017, Johnson pled guilty to three counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years in prison on each, with the sentences to be served concurrently; after serving nine months, Johnson’s petition for probation was granted by the judge;

·        May 15, 2018, Johnson arrested on gun and marijuana charges, and was released on $7,500 bond set by a judge; prosecutors filed a petition to revoke his probation, resulting in his re-arrest a week later;

·        May 25, 2018, Johnson was released on a new $15,000 bond set by the court; two months later federal prosecutors took Johnson’s state gun case under Project Safe Neighborhoods; a federal indictment and conviction followed;

·        Feb. 21, 2019, Johnson’s state bond was revoked and a judge ordered his state sentence to be served concurrently with a federal sentence; Johnson served just over two years in federal prison and was granted supervised release by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in May of 2021.

     On Nov. 17, 2021, Johnson and Smith drove to Makeda’s Cookies at 2370 Airways Blvd. and fired multiple gunshots at Young Dolph, 36, whose given name is Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His younger brother who was with him was not seriously injured.

     Shundale Barnett, 26, who was with Johnson when he was arrested in Indiana, is facing charges that include accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Barnett, a Memphis native, lives in Dallas and is believed to have helped Johnson avoid capture in recent weeks as they travelled to locations in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Hampton, Va.

     The case are being handled by Chief Prosecutor Paul Hagerman and by Asst. Dist. Attys. Austin Scofield and Joey Griffith of the District Attorney’s Crime Strategies & Narcotics Prosecution Unit.

    The CSNPU handles cases involving gang members and violent crimes, including homicides, aggravated robberies, kidnappings, rapes, and narcotics trafficking.