On the first day of the murder trial for Young Dolph in Memphis on Monday, Cornelius Smith, a key suspect, confessed to shooting the well-known rapper, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr.
In February 2022, Smith and his co-defendant Justin Johnson pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. Also charged in the case is Hernandez Govan, who is accused of orchestrating the murder and also pleaded not guilty. A fourth individual, Jermarcus Johnson, who is Justin’s half-brother, pleaded guilty in June to three counts of being an accessory after the fact. Prosecutors allege that Jermarcus helped Justin evade capture following the shooting by accepting a car and cellphone from him.
During the proceedings, Smith disclosed that he and Johnson were promised $40,000 each for their involvement, while Govan was to receive $20,000. Prosecutors indicated that Big Jook, the older brother of Yo Gotti, allegedly placed a $100,000 bounty on Thornton’s life.
Smith recounted that he and Johnson tracked Thornton after spotting his distinctive camouflaged Corvette. He claimed that upon Thornton’s arrival at Makeda’s Cookies, near Memphis International Airport, he could not recall how many times he shot at Thornton.
He further mentioned that Thornton’s brother, Marcus Thornton, shot him in the arm and leg during the altercation, while Johnson was grazed by a bullet. Afterward, Smith stated they abandoned the white Mercedes they were driving at a residence in Orange Mound and then went to a South Memphis apartment to tend to their injuries and change clothes. Smith later returned to the Mercedes to clean it out.
When questioned about his payment, Smith revealed that he received $800 prior to his arrest.
The offices of the Shelby County District Attorney General and representatives for Smith and Johnson did not respond immediately for comment.
Young Dolph, originally from Chicago, moved to Memphis as a child and began his music career in 2008 with his mixtape, Paper Route Campaign. He achieved his first Top 40 hit as a featured artist on O.T. Genasis’ platinum-selling track “Cut It.” His debut album, King of Memphis, was released in 2016. At the age of 36, Dolph was a cherished figure in the Memphis community, known for mentoring other local artists through his independent label, Paper Route Empire.
This story is still developing.