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Rapper Young Dolph passed away in November 2021 during a shooting in Memphis at the age of 36. However, the rapper's murder trial which began on September 23, 2024, in Shelby County, Memphis, has revealed prominent details about Dolph's demise.
As per reports from The Shade Room, Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman stated that Yo Gotti's brother Big Jook reportedly put a $100,000 hit on Dolph. While the assistant district attorney alleged Big Jook's involvement during the opening arguments, Jook died during a shooting outside a Memphis restaurant in January 2024.
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According to Times Now, the prosecution claimed that Young Dolph's murder was the result of the rivalry between Dolph's Paper Route Empire and Yo Gotti's CMG record labels. During the opening arguments, attorney Paul Hagerman described how the feud between the two record labels became the primary reason behind Dolph's murder.
Young Dolphs' murder trial: Details explored
Justin Johnson, Hernandez Govan, and Cornelius Smith Jr are the accused for Young Dolph's murder and have been charged with first-degree murder. While the three were supposed to appear on trial together, Hernandez Govan took a $90,000 bond and got out of jail on house arrest during the second trial delay hearing in May 2024. Govan is currently facing attempted murder and conspiracy charges in addition to first-degree murder.
Moreover, Justin Johnson also accepted a plea deal in October 2023 in exchange for testifying against other accused and his deal comprised pleading guilty to three counts of accessory and spending between 6 to 12 years in jail.
According to Times Now, Justin Johnson was lured by the promise of a CMG record deal from Big Jook, but only if he successfully carried out the alleged hit on Young Dolph. Prosecutors argued that Johnson's trip to Atlanta with Hernandez Govan, suspected of planning the murder, was part of their plot to kill Dolph.
During the trial, Cornelius Smith Jr testified that he and Johnson FaceTimed Big Jook after killing Dolph to confirm the murder. He also revealed that Big Jook promised them rewards and that he was supposed to receive $40,000 for the hit.
In addition to the testimony, the prosecution also showed security footage from the crime scene outside Makeda's Homemade Cookies, which placed Justin Johnson at the site of the shooting. Moreover, the footage shows that two guys got out of a white Mercedes moments before Young Dolph was shot wherein the second person in the video believed to be Cornelius Smith, was seen with a semi-automatic weapon.
Young Dolph aka Adolph Robert Thorton Jr passed away on November 17, 2021, when he was in Memphis for an annual Thanksgiving giveaway. The late rapper was on his way to the giveaway event to hand out turkeys when he made a stop at Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies bakery and was shot.
