Tennessee man gets probation for aiding Young Dolph’s killer after murder

A Tennessee antheral accused of helping 2 hired killers aft they gunned down rapper Young Dolph wrong a Memphis bakery has dodged situation time.

Jermarcus Johnson, 27, volition alternatively serve six years successful a diversion program, which includes occupation training, cause investigating and 20 hours of assemblage work for each twelvemonth of his probationary period.

If Johnson successfully completes the program, his grounds volition beryllium expunged.

AP Photo/Adrian Sainz

Jermarcus Johnson, left, speaks with Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee arsenic helium pleads blameworthy to charges successful the sidesplitting of rapper Young Dolph connected Friday, June 9, 2023, successful Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)

Johnson pleaded blameworthy successful June 2023 to 3 counts of serving arsenic an accessory aft the shooting arsenic portion of a plea deal, which besides saw him attest against his half-brother, Justin Johnson. The second was sentenced to beingness successful prison aft helium was convicted successful September of first-degree murder, conspiracy to perpetrate execution and being a felon successful possession of a gun.

Young Dolph, whose existent sanction was Adolph Thornton Jr., was fatally shot successful November 2021 astatine a bakery adjacent the location wherever helium grew up. The 36-year-old rapper was handing retired Thanksgiving turkeys to families earlier helium visited the cooky store wherever helium was killed.

A 2nd suspect, Cornelius Smith Jr., has besides been charged with first-degree murder. He testified astatine Justin Johnson’s trial, confessing connected the witnesser basal that they unleashed a hail of bullets connected Dolph.

Smith told the tribunal that rapper Yo Gotti’s brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, had enactment retired a $100,000 deed connected Dolph, successful summation to bounties connected each the artists astatine the rapper’s grounds label, Paper Route Empire.

Young Dolph performs astatine The Parking Lot Concert successful Atlanta connected Aug. 23, 2020. (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP, File)

The deed stemmed from the information that Yo Gotti wanted Young Dolph for his ain label, Cocaine Muzik Group — present known arsenic Collective Music Group — but Dolph turned them down and wrote a diss way instead.

In the aftermath of the shooting, constabulary said Johnson helped his half-brother and Smith portion they worked to debar instrumentality enforcement. In speaking with reporters aft the sentencing connected Friday, authoritative Paul Hagerman emphasized that Johnson had nary relation successful sidesplitting the beloved rapper.

“He was utilized by his brother,” Hagerman said. “He is not a criminal.”

With News Wire Services