By Nick Valencia, Zoe Sottile, Shawn Nottingham and Chris Youd, CNN
(CNN) — [Breaking news update, published at 4:08 p.m. ET]
A second former Memphis police officer facing federal civil rights charges in the violent arrest and beating death of Tyre Nichols changed his plea to guilty on Friday in federal court, The Associated Press reported.
[Original story, published at 2:50 p.m. ET]
Emmitt Martin III joined his former colleague Desmond Mills, who also changed his plea to guilty last November, as part of a settlement to both state and federal charges he faced for his role in Nichols’ death.
The change comes after Martin had previously pleaded not guilty.
Mills and Martin are among five former officers charged in the death of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man. Martin was facing federal charges of deprivation of rights, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Three other former officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, are still awaiting trial.
It’s unclear if Martin intends to change his plea in his state case, where he is currently facing a second-degree murder charge.
CNN reached out to Martin’s attorney multiple times for comment.
On Thursday, a spokeswoman with the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office told CNN they did not want to comment prematurely on the plea.
Nichols died in January 2023, three days after the five police officers repeatedly kicked and punched him following a traffic stop and brief foot chase. The officers then left him slumped against a car for critical minutes, video of the incident shows. Autopsy results revealed he died from blunt force trauma to the head and his death was ruled a homicide.
The beating and Nichols’ death led to protests and vigils in Memphis and other major US cities, reigniting the contentious debate over policing and the ways that law enforcement treat Black people.
The-CNN-Wire
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