Young Dolph Murder Suspects in Custody

Two men wanted in connection to the killing of rapper Young Dolph in Memphis, Tennessee, in November are now in police custody. The U.S. Marshals Service announced Tuesday that both Justin Johnson, 23, and Cornelius Smith, 32, have been arrested. Authorities said U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller, Memphis Police Chief C. J. Davis and Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich would hold a joint press conference Wednesday.

According to authorities, Johnson was located in Indiana at around 3 p.m. Tuesday following “a coordinated investigation by the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The Marshals Service said last week that a first-degree murder arrest warrant had been issued for Johnson, who already had an outstanding warrant for violating federal supervised release after a weapon offense. Johnson was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s “Most Wanted” list, and a $15,000 reward had been offered.

Smith, meanwhile, had been taken into police custody last month on an auto-theft warrant involving the vehicle believed to have been used in the murder. The Shelby County, Tennessee, District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that Smith was indicted by a grand jury on first-degree murder charges. Smith was extradited to Shelby County and was being held without bail, Weirich said.

The arrests come almost two months after Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was fatally shot while visiting a local cookie shop, Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, in Memphis on Nov. 17. According to authorities, “The suspects approached the victim while he was inside the business and shot the victim several times. The suspects then fled the scene.” Police later released photos taken from surveillance footage that showed two suspects getting out of a white two-door Mercedes-Benz armed with firearms and approaching Dolph. Police said the suspects shot Dolph several times before fleeing. Police did not say on Wednesday if they are still searching for a second suspect.

In the wake of his death, a number of tributes have been paid to Dolph,with Memphis even renaming a street in his honor. Dolph is survived by his longtime partner Mia Jaye and their two children, Ari and Tre. Dolph, a Chicago native who grew up in Memphis, released his first studio album, King of Memphis, in 2016. He went on to release several more albums in the following years including his fifth album, 2020’s Rich Slave, which rose to No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart.