2 suspects charged with murder of rapper Young Dolph
Two men have been charged with gunning down beloved Memphis rapper Young Dolph.
Justin Johnson, 23, and Cornelius Smith, 32, were detained in separate states.
Johnson was arrested Tuesday by U.S. Marshals in Indiana, according to Memphis Fox affiliate WHBQ.
Johnson had posted on Instagram on Sunday that he would turn himself in, according to Vibe magazine. In the post, he proclaimed his innocence and said he’d be “back sooner than you can blink.” A warrant had been issued for Johnson’s arrest last week on a first-degree murder charge.
Smith was booked into Shelby County jail Tuesday and charged with a first-degree murder that occurred Nov. 17, 2021, according to online jail records. Young Dolph was killed Nov. 17.
Smith had been arrested Dec. 9 in Desoto County, Miss., and remained behind bars until his transfer to Shelby County jail on Tuesday. Smith had been charged with auto theft in Mississippi.
Police said he stole the white Mercedes that was spotted at the scene of Young Dolph’s murder, local NBC affiliate WMC reported. Desoto County is just across the state border from Memphis. The Mercedes was found abandoned Nov. 20.
Dolph, whose legal name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was walking into a Memphis cookie store when two men rolled up in the Mercedes and shot him dead. Surveillance cameras captured the shooting, and police released screenshots of the footage as the investigation unfolded.
Dolph often visited the store, Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, while he was home in Memphis. His 2016 debut album, “King of Memphis,” rubbed some people the wrong way in the city. Memphis’ municipal government named a street after Young Dolph shortly after he was killed.
