Crimes and Court
Cornelius Smith Jr., who previously admitted to shooting the rapper at a co-defendant's trial, sentenced to 20 years in prison
The Tennessee man who previously admitted to shooting Young Dolph pleaded guilty Friday to charges stemming from the rapper’s 2021 death, bringing the murder case to its conclusion.
Cornelius Smith Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a plea deal with Memphis prosecutors, nearly two years after Smith admitted on the witness stand that he and co-defendant Justin Johnson shot Young Dolph during a daytime ambush at a Memphis bakery; Smith served as the main witness at the trial of Johnson, who was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
As part of the plea deal, Smith was sentenced to 20 years in prison; Smith previously faced charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, but those charges were dropped with the plea deal.
