THE murder trial of Young Dolphin began today (September 23) in Shelby County, Memphis. During opening statements, Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman tied I Gottibrother of, Big Jookin the case. Jook, who passed away in January of this year, is accused of scamming Dolph out of $100,000.
To contextualize, Hernández Govan, Justin Johnson, and Cornelius Smith Jr. are on the hook for first degree murder and were supposed to be on trial together. The opposite happened in court on Monday.
Shelby County ADA Reveals Defendants Are Testifying Against Each Other
During the trial’s second adjournment hearing in May, Govan was out of jail on $90,000 bail and under house arrest. In addition to first-degree murder, he faces attempted murder and conspiracy charges. Jermarcus Johnson had accepted a plea deal in October 2023 to testify against other defendants. His deal included pleading guilty to three counts of accessory after the fact and between six and 12 years in prison.
Cornelius Smith Jr. followed in his footsteps and flipped the script. Facing additional charges of illegally carrying and possessing a firearm and theft of property, Smith agreed to testify against Jermarcus, by ABC 24. That’s a major update shared during prosecutors’ opening statement. However, County Attorney Steve Mulroy told the outlet that Smith is refusing to comment on Hernandez Govan. Ultimately, the fate of Smith Jr. and Govan will be decided through trial or plea bargain, ABC 24 reports.
Yo Gotti’s Brother Mentioned on First Day of Young Dolph Murder Trial
In addition to the defendants changing their minds, prosecutors named another person in connection with Dolph’s murder. Hagerman accused Yo Gotti’s late brother, Big Jook, of being the mastermind behind the murder plot. There were rumors that Gotti and Dolph had an ongoing street feud, and on the first day of the trial, Hagerman claimed that Jook paid him $100,000 to end the war, by TMZ.
Cornelius Smith Jr. Confirms Big Jook Charge
Although Big Jook is now a suspect in the murder conspiracy, he will not testify. Gotti’s brother died on January 13 during a shooting near a Memphis restaurant. He was reportedly in the area for his uncle’s funeral and ultimately died at the scene.
On Monday, Cornelius Smith Jr. took the witness stand and further implicated Big Jook in Dolph’s murder. He testified that he and Justin Johnson had to FaceTime Jook after the murder to confirm that it had happened. Smith said he had never met Dolph, but claimed that Gotti’s brother promised on the call to “stand up” with them. Smith claimed he stood to make $40,000 from the murder.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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