MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two men accused in the 2021 death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph were in court Friday.
Lawyers for Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith both entered not guilty pleas last February.
Johnson and Smith face several charges in connection to the killing, including conspiracy. Prosecutors say the pair, along with two other suspects, planned to carry out the hit on Young Dolph.
We learned there are more than 200,000 pages of discovery.
Justin Johnson’s lawyer, Luke Evans, filed a motion to have Judge Coffee removed from the case. He says this comes after his client had his phone, writing, and visitation privileges revoked.
That attorney says he was never aware of the order and only found out through media reports. “He did so without granting Mr. Johnson a hearing, and it’s our position that that action shows some impartiality on behalf of the court,” said Luke Evans.
The order came just days after Johnson, whose rap name is “Straight Dropp” released a song on Youtube titled “No Statements.” The artwork says the song was recorded over the phone from inside 201 Poplar and boasts the lyrics, “Say I’m a rapper, the state say that I’m a paid killer.”
WREG asked Evans about the song. “Well, I don’t know if that’s the recording that the court’s talking about.”
Johnson’s attorney says he and his client will appear back in court on Feb. 2 to argue their case against Judge Coffee. Johnson’s motion to be moved to another facility due to safety concerns will be heard on Feb. 2, as well.
Both Johnson and Smith will be in court together March 24th for the charges related to Young Dolph.
