Man accused of killing Young Dolph loses appeal over murder conviction
One of the men found guilty of killing Young Dolph was rejected this week after appealing his conviction.
Justin Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in September 2024.
According to Action News 5, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals upheld his conviction on March 11th after his lawyers appealed the verdict.
They claimed there was insufficient evidence and that several errors were made during his trial, but the court rejected their arguments.
Johnson was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder conviction. Then, in November 2024, he was sentenced to 35 years for the conspiracy charge and 15 years on the firearms charge, to be served consecutively.
The conspiracy charge carried between 25 and 40 years behind bars, with the gun charge carrying between 12 and 20 years.
Dolph was murdered in November 2021 at the age of 36. While visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, he was killed by two men who shot him 22 times in an alleged targeted attack.
Johnson’s lawyer, Luke Evans, said in court, “He didn’t kill [Dolph], he didn’t conspire to kill [Dolph], and he wasn’t the man holding the pistol in the Makeda’s video.”
The other shooter, Cornelius Smith, accepted a plea deal in February after being charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and attempted first-degree murder. “He’s ready to be done with the matter and move on with his life,” his attorney, Michael Scholl, stated.
He admitted to his role in Dolph’s death and testified against Johnson in September 2024. The man accused of orchestrating the murder, Hernandez Govan, was acquitted of all charges in August 2025.