What trials are taking place in Shelby County courtrooms? | News

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The pace of criminal trials in Shelby County has picked up. As of Aug. 19, more than 40 cases have gone to trial in 201 Poplar counties this year. That's more than Shelby County has seen in the past 14 months. But it's still far fewer than before the pandemic.

According to court records, eight trials were scheduled for the week of August 19. FOX13 Investigates confirmed that jury selection began Monday for the trial of Joshua Dotson. Dotson was charged with four counts of first-degree murder in a 2020 case in which both his girlfriend and unborn child were killed. That trial is taking place in Judge Carlyn Addison's courtroom. According to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, Dotson's trial would be the 10th to take place in Addison court this year.

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The public prosecutor's office announced that 41 trials took place between January and July, eleven of them in May. Three weeks after the start of August, one trial was completed.

FOX13 Investigates confirmed that the trials will take place in Division 3, Judge James Jones' courtroom, in a first-degree murder case, and another case related to a 2017 rape has been moved to Judge Chris Craft's courtroom. The suspect in that 2017 rape was set to be arraigned in 2022.

According to court records, a trial is also scheduled in Judge Carolyn Blackett's courtroom. This case involves aggravated assault and burglary.

A total of four trials are confirmed in Shelby County courtrooms for the third week of August. A trial scheduled for this week, involving the family's alleged murder and child abuse, has been postponed until next spring.