Justice for the murder of Young Dolph now seems imminent with the start of the trial for Justin Johnson, one of the men accused of shooting and killing the rapper in 2021. Johnson, 25, along with Cornelius Smith, 34, are accused of ambushing the rapper and shooting him 22 times inside of Makeda’s Homemade Cookies in Memphis. Police have charged 43-year-old Govan Hernandez with masterminding murder. All three men face first-degree murder and other charges. However, during the trial, several additional wild revelations have been made that thicken the plot.
Yo Gott’s Brother Accused of Putting $100,000 Bounty on Young Dolph
On Day 1 of the trial, state prosecutor Paul Hagerman made the explosive allegation that Yo Gotti‘s brother Big Jook put a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph in connection to a longstanding beef between Gotti’s CMG label and Dolph’s Paper Route Empire.
“PRE, Paper Route Empire, [Dolph’s] label, is not the only label in Memphis,” Hagerman said told the jury. “He’s not the only famous rapper in Memphis. Another label, CMG, Cocaine Music Crew, they became an enemy. The first time they wanted Dolph under their label, but he turned down millions. The second time they wanted Dolph under their label, but he turned down many millions. ‘I wanna do it myself.'”
“Big Jook, the person I told you about before, that number two guy at CMG,” Hagerman added. “He’s put out a hit, $100,000 to whoever kills Dolph. He has met with Justin. He has met with Cornelius, and they think they’re ready to do it. They’re definitely willing to do it. For Cornelius it would be, 50 grand I guess that he can waste away on Percocets and ecstasy. For Justin, it’s 50 grand but also a chance to make it big with CMG. To become the next famous Memphis rapper.”
Cornelius Smith Confesses, Claims He Only Received $800 for Hit
Cornelius Smith, who has admitted to taking part in killing Dolph, also took the stand on the first day of trial. Testifying for the prosecution, he told jurors that he only received $800 of the $40,000 he was promised for killing Dolph, despite reaching out to Johnson about the payment. Johnson was allegedly supposed to get $40,000, while $20,000 was supposed to go to Hernandez as a finder’s fee. However, Smith testified he only received one payment of $300 and another payment of $500 before he was arrested a week later.
Cornelius Smith Admits to Murdering Dolph on Smith’s Daughter’s Birthday
Smith’s testimony also included him admitting he murdered Dolph on Smith daughter’s birthday.
“Man, I’m trying to make it right for her,” he unapologetically said when asked why he would kill a man on that special day. “I didn’t have no money. I’m trying to get some money that day. I’m trying to make sure my baby girl have a beautiful birthday.”
Police Have Justin Johnson’s Moves on Surveillance
During the trial, jurors were shown extensive surveillance footage of Justin Johnson’s whereabouts before and after the killing. In the clips, he appears to be wearing the same clothing as one of the men captured on video opening fire on Dolph at the cookie shop hours later.
Justin Johnson’s Brother Testifies Against Him
On Day 2 of the trial, Justin Johnson’s half-brother Jemarcus Johnson testified against his sibling. While on the stand, he corroborated Smith’s story about Smith hitting up Justin and asking him for money, which Justin said was supposed to come from “Unc.” The prosecution claims “Unc” is a nickname for Big Jook.
Jemarcus Johnson pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact last June for helping Justin and Cornelius evade capture. He has yet to be sentenced.
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