Justin Johnson found guilty in Young Dolph murder trial | News

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Justin Johnson was found guilty of the murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. 

A jury, made up of nine white women, two Black men and one white man found Johnson guilty on September 26, 2024 after a four-day trial. Johnson was found guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. The jury deliberated for about four hours. 

He was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge. Johnson will be sentenced on the other charges in November. 

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Young Dolph was killed on November 17, 2021 when Johnson, convicted of the crime, and admitted gunman Cornelius Smith fired shots into Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies on Airways Boulevard. During the trial, Smith testified that he and Johnson carried out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph, put out by Anthony Mims, also known as Big Jook, the brother of Memphis rapper Yo Gotti and a member of the record label CMG. Big Jook was shot and killed outside of the Perignons Restaurant and Event Center in Memphis on January 13, 2024. 

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After Young Dolph was killed, the shooters sped away in a white Mercedes Benz. That Mercedes was later discovered outside of an abandoned home on Bradley Street in Memphis’ Orange Mound neighborhood. That house was next door to the house of Hernandez Govan. Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman argued that Govan put Johnson and Smith in contact with Big Jook to carry out the hit on Young Dolph. According to Hagerman and testimony from Smith, both gunman were to receive $50,000 each for the murder and give $10,000 of their proceeds to Govan. 

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Govan did not testify in Johnson’s trial. Johnson’s defense attorney, Luke Evans, claimed that Govan took a Proffer Agreement, a deal a defendant makes with prosecutors that allows the suspect to give law enforcement information with the promise that it will not be used against them. That claim was supported by Jesse Browning, an investigator with the Memphis Police Department who worked on the Young Dolph murder case. 

Browning and Michael Garner, an expert witness in call detail records with an emphasis in location and digital forensics, gave testimony that Johnson’s phone was in the area of Makeda’s at the time of the shooting. That testimony was backed up by call detail records, showing that Johnson’s phone both pinged off nearby cell phone towers and that he communicated with Smith and Big Jook shortly before and after the murder. 

Prosecutor Hagerman also called a witness who linked Johnson to the white Mercedes used in the murder. That witness said he was present when Treon Ingram gave Johnson the vehicle that was later used to kill Young Dolph. 

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Defense attorney Evans attacked the credibility of that witness, implying that he lied about not knowing the car was stolen and that he played an active part in the murder despite his insistence that he had no knowledge of the crime until after it happened. 

Evans’ case revolved around the fact that Johnson’s DNA was never recovered from that Mercedes. Neither were the guns used to kill Young Dolph ever found. Evans also argued that, even if Johnson’s phone was in the area of the murder at the time of the crime, that wasn’t proof that Johnson had his phone at the time. Likewise, Evans rebutted video, shown by prosecutor Hagerman, that recorded the Mercedes pulling into Johnson’s apartment complex and then showed Johnson walking throughout the building wearing. This, Evans argued, did not prove that Johnson was in the Mercedes, only that both may have been at the apartment building at the same time. Evans even questioned the time stamp on the security footage from the apartment building after the prosecution admitted a mistake regarding the time stamp at the beginning of Day Three of the trial. 

Evans also pushed back on the argument that Johnson was wearing the same clothes as the man seen shooting into Makeda’s. Both wore a black hoodie, black shoes, gray sweatpants and a Bass Pro hat. Though, according to Evans, “similar is not the same.” 

While wrapping up his closing argument, Hagerman said “(Young Dolph) dies on the floor of a neighborhood cookie store in Orange Mound. Too real. Too real, your family misses you… You’re too real. This is real. This is too real. He’s caught on video, all the times. We even watch him get on down. It’s time for us to be real and we don’t need Memphis talk for that. It’s called, just do what’s right. It’s as simple as that. Just do what’s right.  Cornelius Smith and Justin Johnson killed Adolph Thornton Jr. on November 17. We watched it happen. Smith, Johnson, Govan and Big Jook conspired to have it done and it was done on November 17, 2021.” 

After the verdict was announced at 4:05 p.m. on September 26, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy sent the following statement. 

“Every murder’s a tragedy, and we take them all seriously,” said District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “ This one generated extra public interest because Young Dolph was a prominent and beloved member of the community. We will continue to fight hard to make sure that all of those responsible for his death are brought to justice,” Mulroy said. 

The district attorney’s office said that the guilty verdict marks a significant step toward justice for Young Dolph and his family as the legal process continues for the other defendants charged in the case.

The judge sentenced Johnson to life in prison.

Mia Jaye, the life partner of Young Dolph, posted a statement to Instagram shortly after the verdict was announced. That statement reads as follows. 

“Today’s verdict brings relief and restores my confidence in the justice system. On behalf of my children, family and myself, I would like to thank law enforcement, the prosecution, and everyone involved for their diligent work in presenting the facts that led to this conviction. We are also grateful to the public for standing with us and advocating for accountability throughout this process. 

The past three years, marked by the loss of Adolph and the events leading to the trial, have been incredibly frustrating. My faith has been tested, but Adolph’s tragic execution has only strengthened my resolve to fight for justice – not only for him but for all Black men. 

This is just the beginning of our journey toward achieving full justice for Adolph, and we will patiently suppor the unfolding of that process.”