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The trial for Young Dolph’s murder is set to reach a jury verdict soon, with co-defendants turning on each other and one even claiming that Yo Gotti’s late brother, Big Jook, paid them $100,000 for the hit. After just four days of testimony, Justin “Straight Drop” Johnson’s fate will be decided on Thursday (Sept. 26).
Before the jury entered deliberations, prosecutor Paul Hagerman suggested the state already has enough evidence to convict Johnson. He explained, “When this trial was just over again for the 5th time, we showed the slide from Justin’s phone.” The slide in question was a FaceTime call between the 24-year-old and Jook, in which co-defendant Cornelius Smith claimed he spelled out the words “Dolph.”
Smith notably pled guilty on Monday (Sept. 23), whereas Hernandez Govan, the alleged mastermind behind the murder, took a Proffer agreement. As a result, the information he gave authorities was not used against him in court. Johnson, on the other hand, faces charges for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
“The crime has been committed. Dolph has been killed, and we literally see him at the elevators with his suitcases getting on down,” Hagerman continued, according to FOX13 Memphis. “This case was over when you saw the videos. This case was over when you heard from the co-defendant. This case was over when you saw him at the elevators, knowing that he was leaving.”
Per the testimony, Smith and Johnson initially planned to target Dolph at his annual Thanksgiving turkey drive. However, when the pair saw his camo-wrapped Corvette on Nov. 17, 2021, they followed him to the parking lot of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies. The autopsy revealed that the late rapper was shot 22 times, including in his chest, neck, arms, and back, in broad daylight.
In 2022, Dolph’s estate released his first posthumous album, Paper Route Frank. The 13-song effort boasted guest appearances from Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Big Moochie Grape, Snupe Bandz, and frequent collaborator Key Glock.