Young Dolph murder suspect’s trial date reset over safety concerns
One of the men accused of killing Young Dolph has had his trial date reset.
Cornelius Smith appeared in court on March 30th after he was expected to accept a plea deal earlier this year.
According to Action News 5, Smith’s attorney told the judge that safety concerns are delaying the plea process.
As a result, his court date has been reset to May 15th, pending a safe place for him within the Tennessee Department of Corrections.
Smith is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and attempted first-degree murder. He admitted to his role in Dolph’s death and testified against Justin Johnson in September 2024.
In February, it was announced that Smith would be accepting a plea deal in the murder case after his lawyers had more time to discuss specific details.
Shelby County deputy district attorney, Paul Hagerman, said, “There is a guilty plea that has been arrived at. However, the attorneys have to get with the Department of Corrections regarding technicalities with regard to his confinement.”
Smith’s lawyer, Michael Scholl, added, “We were intending to go ahead and enter a guilty plea today when we went into court. There are a few details that we need to fix and iron out before we can do that. So, we asked the judge for additional time to complete those details.”
He continued, “He’s ready to be done with the matter and move on with his life. We want to make sure everything’s done correctly and appropriately. So, he’s fine with whatever time we need to do to iron out what we need to iron out.”
Johnson appealed his conviction, but was denied by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals earlier this month. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in September 2024.