Source: Variety / Getty
It’s been a year and a half since the shocking murder of beloved Memphis, Tennessee rapper, Young Dolph. One of the men arrested in connection with his killing has taken a plea deal though he didn’t actually partake in the shooting.
According to the Huffpost, 26-year-old Jermarcus Johnson has pleaded guilty to three counts of accessory after the fact as part of a plea deal that was greenlit by Judge Lee Coffee. Authorities found that Johnson helped both of Dolph’s murderers, Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith communicate while they were on the lam following the shooting. Johnson even acknowledged that he helped one of the shooters touch base with his probation officer as part of the plea deal which will allow him to avoid a trial by jury.
The Huffpost reports:
During questioning by prosecutor Paul Hagerman, Johnson acknowledged taking possession of car a from shooting suspect Justin Johnson, his half brother. Jermarcus Johnson also identified a photo in which Justin Johnson was wearing the same clothing as one of the two shooters accused of gunning down Young Dolph the day the rapper was killed. Hagerman said Johnson had no role in the actual killing of Young Dolph.
Johnson was one of four men charged in a conspiracy indictment stemming from the November 2021 killing of Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. Johnson is the first person to plead guilty or be convicted in the shooting, which rattled Memphis and shook the entertainment world.
After getting picked up by authorities, Jermarcus Johnson was initially charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for helping Justin Johnson hide out and allude authorities after Johnson and Smith gunned down Young Dolph at Makeda’s Homemade Cookies bakery in November of 2021.cThough authorities allege that Johnson, Smith, and Hernandez Govan were all involved in the shooting of Young Dolph, all three men have pleaded not guilty to the charges levied against them. With Jermarcus Johnson accepting a plea deal, things just got a little trickier for the aforementioned men to be able to prove their innocence in court as Johnson can now be called as a witness in future trials of Johnson, Smith and Govan.
With his plea deal, Johnson is facing six to 12 years in prison for his participation in the crime. Sentencing is scheduled for August 10.
