Cornelius Smith Sentenced to 20 Years in Young Dolph’s Murder

Cornelius Smith Jr. was sentenced on May 15, 2026, to 20 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections for the murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. The sentence carries no possibility of parole or early release and must be served at 100 percent, with credit for time already served. Smith, one of the two gunmen who shot Adolph Thornton Jr. outside a Memphis bakery in November 2021, was the final defendant in the case.¹²

The Plea and What It Replaced

Smith had been indicted on a stack of charges: first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, employing a firearm with intent to commit a felony, unlawful carrying of a weapon, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and theft of property over $10,000.³

Under the agreement reached in Shelby County court, every one of those counts was dropped. In their place, Smith pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree murder and accepted the 20-year sentence tied to it. He was 36 at the time of the plea. His attorney, Michael Scholl, said that with credit for the roughly four and a half years Smith had already been held since his December 2021 arrest, Smith could be released by his early 50s.⁴

Why the State Agreed to 20 Years

Smith’s cooperation was the reason. According to Scholl, Smith told authorities he wanted to cooperate within a week of his arrest, and he became the prosecution’s central witness in the two trials that followed.⁴

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said the sentence “properly reflects the gravity of the offense while giving due consideration to the cooperation this defendant provided.” Deputy DA Paul Hagerman, who tried the case, called Smith’s crime “inexcusable” but said Smith “owned up to his crime, told the truth in court despite fear of retribution and threats, and has now accepted responsibility.” Hagerman described the cooperation as “essential to the State’s case.”³

What Smith Testified To

Smith took the stand at the September 2024 trial of co-defendant Justin Johnson and again at the August 2025 trial of Hernandez Govan. He identified himself as one of the two shooters and Johnson as the other. He testified that Govan recruited the pair, supplied firearms, told them Young Dolph would be in Memphis for his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, and expected a $10,000 cut of a $100,000 bounty prosecutors alleged had been placed on the rapper by Anthony “Big Jook” Mims.⁵⁶

Smith described going “hunting” for artists on Dolph’s Paper Route Empire label, spotting Dolph’s car, and following it to Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, where he and Johnson exited a white Mercedes-Benz and fired roughly 20 shots. Thornton, 36, was hit approximately 22 times and killed.¹

Smith also testified about what he got for it. He said he was promised $40,000 but received only $500 and a letter. “I didn’t even know Dolph,” he told the court. “I felt stupid. I knew I messed up.” He noted that the murder happened on his daughter’s birthday.⁷

The Payment Question the Defense Raised

Smith’s credibility was attacked at Govan’s trial. Govan’s defense called Smith a “pathological liar” motivated by the prospect of a lighter sentence and pointed to an unexplained cash payment of between $38,000 and $50,000 that Smith’s attorney received from Big Jook’s attorney after Smith’s arrest. The jury acquitted Govan of all charges after roughly three hours of deliberation on August 21, 2025.⁸⁹ That acquittal did not undo Smith’s cooperation on paper, and the state proceeded with the plea deal it had built around his testimony.

How Smith’s Sentence Compares to the Other Defendants

Four people were charged in connection with Young Dolph’s murder. Smith’s plea closed the last open case, and the outcomes vary sharply.

Justin Johnson, known as “Straight Dropp,” was convicted by a jury in September 2024 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Mitchell sentenced him to life in prison, plus 35 years for the conspiracy count and 15 years on the firearm count, with the additional terms running consecutively to the life sentence. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his convictions on March 10, 2026.¹⁰¹¹¹²

Hernandez Govan, 45, was accused of orchestrating the killing and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy. He was acquitted of all charges in August 2025 after having rejected a plea offer from the state the previous month.⁹

Jemarcus Johnson, Justin Johnson’s half-brother, pleaded guilty in June 2023 to three counts of accessory after the fact for handling his brother’s phone and social media after the shooting and communicating with Smith while impersonating Justin. He received six years of judicial diversion, a form of probation that allows him to avoid prison if he stays out of trouble, and testified for the prosecution at Justin’s trial.¹³

The Man Prosecutors Named but Never Charged

Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, whom prosecutors alleged placed the $100,000 bounty on Young Dolph, was never charged in the rapper’s murder. On January 13, 2024, Mims was shot and killed outside Perignons Restaurant and Event Center in Memphis. A second man was critically injured in the attack. Police identified a suspected vehicle, a white Ford Explorer, but no arrests in Mims’s killing had been reported, and officials had not publicly confirmed any connection to the Young Dolph case.¹⁴

1
U.S. News & World Report. Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting Death of Rapper Young Dolph at a Memphis Bakery
2
Action News 5. Last Remaining Defendant in Young Dolph Case Pleads Guilty
3
Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. Final Defendant in Young Dolph Murder Case Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Second-Degree Murder
4
WREG. Cornelius Smith Faces Court Date in Young Dolph Case
5
Court TV. TN v. Hernandez Govan – Young Dolph Murder Trial
6
Fox 13 Memphis. Everything We Learned During Hernandez Govan’s Trial Related to Young Dolph’s Murder
7
Yahoo Entertainment. Suspect in Young Dolph Murder May Enter Guilty Plea
8
Court TV. Hernandez Govan Acquitted in the Murder of Rapper Young Dolph
9
CBS News. Hernandez Govan Not Guilty in Young Dolph Killing
10
ABC 7. Young Dolph Verdict: Justin Johnson Convicted, Gets Life Sentence
11
Action News 5. Young Dolph Killer Sentenced to 35 More Years in Prison
12
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. State of Tennessee v. Justin Johnson a/k/a Straight Drop
13
Fox 13 Memphis. Man Arrested in Connection to Young Dolph Murder Avoids Prison Time
14
Fox 13 Memphis. Yo Gotti’s Brother Big Jook Killed in Shooting Outside Memphis Restaurant