Sentencing delayed for former officer in Tyre Nichols case

Former Memphis police officer Desmond Mills, left, arrives at the federal courthouse with his attorney Blake Ballin, right, to testify against his former colleagues during the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

by: Deja Davis

Posted: Oct 16, 2024 / 12:04 PM CDT

Updated: Oct 16, 2024 / 12:05 PM CDT

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The sentencing hearing for former Memphis Police officer Desmond Mills, who pleaded guilty in the beating of Tyre Nichols has been delayed.

According to Mark Norris, the United States District Court judge, Mills’ sentencing was reset to February 20, 2025, at 2 p.m.

The deadline to file objections to the pre-sentence report is now extended to February 6, 2025.

This comes after Mills’ attorney filed a motion on Tuesday to continue sentencing and extend the deadline to file the objections to the pre-sentencing report.

The motion was filed to allow the defense additional time to prepare for the sentencing in this matter, reports state.

Mills was one of five Memphis Police officers criminally charged in the January 2023 beating death of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop. The other ex-officers are Emmitt Martin III, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith.

In November 2023, Mills pleaded guilty to federal charges and agreed to plead guilty to state charges in the death of Nichols.

“My use of force was excessive on Mr. Nichols and I did make misleading statements,” Mills said in court.

Both federal and state prosecutors have agreed to a recommended sentence of 15 years. DA Steve Mulroy said the state and federal charges would run concurrently.