Mulroy announces that more cases will come to court in 2024 than last year, thanks the Special Victims Unit

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – On Wednesday, District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced that his office has tried more cases this year than in all of 2024.

Mulroy says the prosecutor's special victims unit has taken on much of the heavy lifting.

The SVU brought 18 cases to court in 2024, resulting in 15 guilty verdicts.

The Shelby County Special Victims Unit consists of 8 prosecutors.

Mulroy highlighted a number of convictions this year, including an unsolved case from the 1980s.

Tony Stafford was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing an 18-year-old woman in 1988.

“Trial negotiations are only one measure of success,” Mulroy said. “To spare families the burden of lengthy court proceedings and to achieve justice efficiently, plea bargains are often negotiated,” Mulroy said.

The SVU also reports 12 agreements on guilty pleas this year.

However, the announcement came in response to criticism of the small number of cases actually going to court in Shelby County, court records show, which has led to a significant backlog of cases since the pandemic.

“Sometimes the delays are unavoidable – the defense attorney is changed and there is a delay, and the defense motions take time; there may also be delays because we are waiting for lab results,” Mulroy said.

Bringing cases to court also requires cooperation with the Memphis Police Department when it comes to making arrests.

New TBI data shows that the MPD solved less than 14% of Group A or serious crimes last year.

“I think we need to do everything we can to increase clearance rates and solve cases,” Mulroy said. “I think the MPD is underfunded and we can do more to increase clearance rates. One of those is a crime lab, as I mentioned.”

Currently, MPD must use the TBI lab in Jackson, Tennessee.

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