The last unresolved defendant in the killing of Memphis rapper Young Dolph was back in a Shelby County courtroom Thursday, with a possible guilty plea hanging in the air.
Cornelius Smith, who has publicly admitted to firing shots in the ambush that killed Young Dolph in November 2021, appeared in Shelby County Criminal Court as his attorneys continued talks over a potential plea agreement. He is the only remaining defendant in the case whose legal status is still open.
Smith’s hearing was set for 9 a.m. Thursday, and his legal team has been in active negotiations with prosecutors about a deal, according to FOX13 Memphis. Defense attorney Sharon Morales told the station on Jan. 22 that “we anticipate having a guilty plea on Feb. 12,” a comment that set expectations for this week’s hearing.
During Justin Johnson’s trial earlier in 2024, Smith testified that he and Johnson were the two men seen on surveillance video getting out of a white Mercedes and opening fire outside Makeda’s Cookies on Nov. 17, 2021, according to The Associated Press. Johnson was convicted and received a lengthy sentence, while Smith still faces unresolved counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy.
What A Plea Would Mean
A guilty plea from Smith could land in a few different ways. Prosecutors could agree to reduce some of the charges, or Smith could plead to a murder count with an agreed-upon sentencing range. Tennessee law allows some of the harshest penalties on the books for first-degree murder, including life in prison and, in capital cases, a possible death sentence. Judges must apply the statutory rules that govern those penalties if a conviction is entered, according to Tennessee Code § 39-13-202.
Any agreement Smith reaches with the state would be placed on the record in open court. The terms would be laid out during a plea colloquy, then locked in through formal filings that become part of the public case file.
Where The Case Stands
Smith’s case is unfolding against a backdrop of outcomes for nearly everyone else who was charged. Justin Johnson was convicted and sentenced in 2024, a cooperating relative admitted guilt to accessory charges, and another man, whom prosecutors accused of arranging the hit, was acquitted last year, according to The Associated Press.
Those results have reshaped the landscape for both the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and Smith’s defense team, who are now weighing whether a plea is the fastest route to closure for prosecutors and for Young Dolph’s family.
If Smith does enter a plea, the judge will set its terms on the record and schedule any sentencing hearing that follows. Thursday’s proceeding was flagged in advance as a potential turning point in a case that has stretched on for years, FOX13 Memphis reported.
