Justin Johnson, one of the individuals arrested in connection with the murder of Young Dolph in 2022, has been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, as announced by the Shelby County district attorney’s office. In addition to the murder charge, Johnson was found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Young Dolph was tragically killed at the age of 36 on November 17, 2021, in Memphis. During the trial, co-defendant Cornelius Smith testified that he and Johnson were responsible for Young Dolph’s death, claiming they acted on the orders of Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, the brother of rapper Yo Gotti, who allegedly put out a $100,000 contract on Dolph. Smith implicated that both he and Johnson were required to pay $10,000 to a man named Hernandez Govan for coordinating the attack.
Smith has entered a plea of not guilty to the murder and conspiracy charges against him, with his case scheduled for a hearing in November. Govan has also pleaded not guilty to similar charges. Another co-defendant, Jermarcus Johnson, pleaded guilty last year to three counts of accessory after the fact, admitting to aiding communication between Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith post-shooting. Notably, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims was killed in a shooting incident in January.
