Young Dolph murder trial: Day 2

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The second day of trial for one of the men accused of killing famed Memphis rapper Young Dolph continued Tuesday with testimony from the case's former lead investigator, the suspect's half-brother and a witness to a car swap.

Young Dolph was shot and killed at Makeda's Cookies on Airways Blvd. in November 2021.

Justin Johnson, also known as “Straight Drop,” pleads not guilty to several charges, including first-degree murder.

Former Memphis Police Department homicide detective Terence Dabney explained how they used video to create a timeline to trace the white Mercedes used in the shooting.

Dabney said that when police began their investigation, all they had at their disposal was the clothing the suspects wore, the weapons they used and the car they were driving.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman for the prosecution argues that Johnson was one of the two shooters who shot Dolph because of the clothing he was wearing.

“He's wearing a black baseball cap with 'Bass Pro' written on it,” Dabney said, describing the crime scene photos. “He's also got his face covered. He's wearing a black hoodie. He's also wearing gray sweatpants. There's also a small badge on the gray sweatpants. He's also wearing dark shoes.”

Dabney said they found the white Mercedes used in the shooting abandoned in Orange Mound, across the street from the home of fellow murder suspect Hernandez Govan.

“On the Mercedes, you can see some damage on the rear passenger side,” Dabney said.

Dabney said the white Mercedes was stolen by Treon Ingram in a carjacking weeks before the murder. Dabney said after Ingram was arrested, they received information that the Mercedes had been seen outside Johnson's crosstown apartment complex.

Dabney said they found a video showing Johnson leaving his apartment nine hours before the murder, apparently wearing the same clothing as one of the shooters.

“He's wearing the Bass Pro hat, black hoodie, sweatpants and low-cut black shoes with white soles,” Dabney said, captioning the video. “You can also see a prominent tattoo on his hand.”

Dabney said they found a video from a Valero gas station (which they played in court) taken around 3 a.m. on the day of Dolph's murder. It showed a car swap between the white Mercedes and an Infinity. Khistan Garner testified Tuesday that he was in that Mercedes and saw Johnson get out of the Infinity and get into the Mercedes with him.

“We got gas and then talked for a minute,” Garner said. “Then we stopped and drove back, and then Straight Drop (Johnson) got in the Benz we were in.”

The video shows the damaged Mercedes pulling up to Johnson's apartment at 4:48 a.m. Johnson can also be seen returning to his apartment with his young daughter in his arms.

Johnson's defense attorney Luke Evans told the jury that Johnson's fingerprints were not among the many found on the car.

“You can’t see who’s driving the Mercedes,” Evans said.

Assistant District Attorney Hagerman then played a video of Johnson and his young daughter leaving the apartment and walking to the parking garage.

Then we see the white Mercedes leaving Johnson's apartment, 37 minutes before Young Dolph is shot.

Jermarcus Johnson, Justin Johnson's half-brother, is accused of obtaining his brother's phone and helping him communicate with Cornelius Smith, who admitted to being the second shooter in the Dolph shooting.

Jermarcus pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact. On Tuesday, he told Assistant District Attorney Hagerman that Justin demanded he take his cellphone to manage his social media accounts. However, Jermarcus said he ended up forwarding text messages between Justin and Smith (known as C).

“He said, 'Have you talked to Uncle?' And then he said, 'When you talk to Uncle, tell him I need some money for my little daughter's birthday party,'” Jermarcus said.

Assistant District Attorney Hagerman stated that Unc was “Big Jook,” the man who carried out the $100,000 hit on Dolph.