3 Former Officers Acquitted of All State Charges in Tyre Nichols’s Death

Three former police officers were acquitted on Wednesday of all the state charges against them, including second-degree murder, in the death of Tyre Nichols, a Black man whose brutal beating in 2023 stunned the nation.

It was the second trial for the three men, Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith. They were accused of fatally beating Mr. Nichols, a FedEx employee who had been driving home from work when he was stopped by officers more than two years ago.

The three were convicted of witness tampering in a separate federal trial last fall, but acquitted of a more serious charge of violating Mr. Nichols’s civil rights by causing his death. Federal jurors also found Mr. Haley guilty of violating Mr. Nichols’s civil rights by causing bodily injury.

Two other former officers involved in the beating — Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III — took guilty pleas in the earlier federal case; Mr. Mills also pleaded guilty in state court. It remains unclear how the state case against Mr. Martin, who has been described as the most violent officer in the beating, will be handled.

The jury in the state case, seated from the Chattanooga area in eastern Tennessee to ensure a fair trial, deliberated more than eight hours after a seven-day trial in Memphis. In addition to second-degree murder, the three defendants had been charged with aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Sentencing in the federal trial is expected later this year. Mr. Nichols’s family has also sued Memphis and its Police Department.