On the opening day in the murder trial of Young Dolph in Memphis on Monday, Cornelius Smith, one of the main suspects, admitted to shooting the celebrated rapper , whose legal name was Adolph Thornton Jr., The Commercial Appeal reports. In February 2022, Smith and co-defendant Justin Johnson pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
The alleged mastermind of the murder, Hernandez Govan, also pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and denied arranging the slaying. The fourth man charged in the case was Johnson’s half-brother, Jermarcus Johnson, who pleaded guilty in June to three counts of being an accessory after the fact . Prosecutors claimed Jermarcus accepted a car and cellphone from Justin following the killing to help him escape Memphis amid a manhunt .
On Monday, Smith told the court he and Justin were promised $40,000 each, while Govon was set to receive $20,000. The outlet reported that Shelby County prosecutors alleged that Big Jook, Yo Gotti’s older brother who was fatally shot in Memphis on Jan. 13, 2024, put a $100,000 hit on Thornton.
Smith stated that Johnson picked him up and that they followed Thornton after spotting his camouflaged-wrapped Corvette. When Thornton arrived at the parking lot outside Makeda’s Cookies near Memphis International Airport where he was killed, Smith claimed he “couldn’t tell you how many times I shot (Thornton).” Smith told the court that Young Dolph’s brother Marcus Thronton shot him in the arm and leg, while Johns.