Justin Johnson has been found guilty of the murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. The verdict came from a jury consisting of nine white women, two Black men, and one white man on September 26, 2024, following a four-day trial. Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. Fox 13 reported that the jury deliberated for about four hours before delivering the verdict. Johnson was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, with additional sentencing on the other charges scheduled for November.
Young Dolph was shot and killed on November 17, 2021, outside Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis. Johnson, along with Cornelius Smith, who confessed to being a gunman in the case, fired shots into the bakery. During the trial, Smith testified that the murder was a $100,000 hit ordered by Anthony Mims, aka Big Jook, the brother of rapper Yo Gotti and a member of CMG.
After the murder, the gunmen fled in a white Mercedes-Benz, which was later found abandoned near Hernandez Govan’s home in Orange Mound. Prosecutors argued that Govan connected Johnson and Smith with Big Jook to execute the murder, with each receiving $50,000 for the hit, while giving $10,000 to Govan.
Johnson’s defense attorney, Luke Evans, challenged the credibility of the evidence, focusing on the fact that Johnson’s DNA was not found in the Mercedes used in the crime, nor were the murder weapons recovered. Evans also raised doubts about surveillance footage and phone records linking Johnson to the scene. Despite these challenges, prosecutors presented call detail records and witness testimony connecting Johnson to the murder and the getaway vehicle.
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