Case Closed: Final Suspect Sentenced To 20 Years…
The years-long courtroom battles surrounding the stunning death of Memphis rapper and unbiased label proprietor Young Dolph have formally come to a close. On Friday, May fifteenth, the ultimate suspect in the investigation, Cornelius Smith Jr., was sentenced to 20 years in prison after accepting a plea deal in a Memphis courtroom.
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According to FOX 13, Smith pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree homicide. He was initially going through first-degree homicide fees for his function in the November 2021 daytime ambush that took the life of the 36-year-old artist, born Adolph Thornton Jr. According to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, the plea settlement dropped other pending fees against Smith, factoring in his full cooperation with the state to secure convictions against those concerned.
With Smith’s sentencing, prosecutors have formally resolved the last remaining lively piece of the murder case. Smith served as the state’s main witness during the 2024 trial of Justin Johnson, the second gunman in Young Dolph’s death. As reported by AP News, Smith’s detailed testimony naming Johnson as the co-shooter finally led to Johnson being convicted of first-degree homicide, conspiracy, and felon weapon possession, touchdown him a life sentence plus an extra 35 years.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy launched a assertion following Friday’s listening to, reflecting on the group’s loss and the end of the legal saga.
“Young Dolph was a beloved member of this community, his death a tragedy, his murder an outrage,” Mulroy said. “We’re glad to finally have this last part of the case resolved. The sentence properly reflects the gravity of the offense while giving due consideration to the cooperation this defendant provided. We hope this resolution can give Dolph’s family some sense of closure.”
Multiple Suspects Reported In Young Dolph’s Death
Throughout the a number of trials related to the investigation, prosecutors painted a darkish image of report label rivalries and a financial hit that led to the taking pictures. Testifying under oath, Smith confessed that he and Johnson have been executing a $100,000 hit put out by Anthony “Big Jook” Mims—the late brother of rival rapper Yo Gotti and an government at Collective Music Group.
According to court testimony, the rivalry intensified after Young Dolph repeatedly turned down affords to signal with Yo Gotti’s label, selecting instead to stay fiercely unbiased. Smith testified that smaller bounties had also been positioned on all artists signed to Dolph’s label. Hernandez Govan, who was accused of appearing as the intermediary who organized the hit for a $10,000 cut, was acquitted of all fees by a Memphis jury in August 2025. Big Jook himself was shot and killed exterior a Memphis restaurant in January 2024 and was never legally charged in connection with the case.
The daytime taking pictures, which occurred while Young Dolph was visiting Makeda’s Homemade Cookies close to his childhood neighborhood, deeply struck the hip-hop group. As beforehand reported, at the time of Young Dolph’s death, the artist was in city for his annual custom of handing out (*20*) turkeys to local households. An post-mortem report later revealed he had been shot roughly 20 occasions after two males jumped out of a white Mercedes-Benz.
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