Young Dolph‘s alleged killers have been given a new trial date, almost three years after the rapper’s death.
The trial of Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith for the murder of Dolph was originally set to begin in March and later delayed until June, but is now been pushed back further with a new start date of September 23.
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The continued delay of the trial is due to both the prosecution and defense requesting a continuance which would allow them time to prepare witnesses for court.
Shelby County Judge Jennifer J. Mitchell granted the motion but was not overly pleased.
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“As we all know, this case was set for trial today,” she said in court Monday (June 3). “I was extremely upset when the lawyers came to me, asking for a motion to continue this case.
“I was really anxious to get this case over and done with starting this week, but they both expressed to the court the desire to get experts in. So I allowed the continuance to occur.”
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Young Dolph (real name Adolph Thornton Jr.) was killed in November 2021 after two men got out of a stolen Mercedes-Benz and fired several shots into a bakery in Memphis, with the incident captured on CCTV.
Two other men have also been charged for their involvement with the killing. Jemarcus Johnson has pleaded guilty to three counts of serving as an accessory after the killing but has not yet been sentenced.
Hernandez Govan has also been accused of ordering the killing, which he has denied. He is currently awaiting a trial date.
Dolph’s partner at the time of his death, Mia Jaye, has previously expressed her frustration with how long the case has dragged on.
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“I’m fed up. It’s been two years’ worth of conspiracies. Two years’ worth of unknowing. Two years’ worth of people not properly communicating to you,” she told Rolling Stone last year.
“I didn’t know if garnering more attention would hurt or help, and I wanted to help. I feel like I tried that, and I don’t feel like it was helping. I feel like we weren’t being taken seriously.”
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Jaye also said her annoyance escalated when she learned through the media, not authorities, that the original judge in the case was removed by the Tennessee appeals court, which she felt disregarded Dolph’s loved ones.
