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    Yo Gotti’s Brother Accused of Hiring Hitman to Kill Young Dolph

    The murder trial surrounding Memphis rapper Young Dolph took a shocking turn this week, with prosecutors alleging that Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, the brother of rap mogul Yo Gotti, orchestrated the fatal shooting. During opening statements in the trial of Justin “Straight Drop” Johnson-one of the men accused of acting as the hitman in Young Dolph’s murder-Shelby County prosecutors also disclosed that Big Jook had assigned a $100,000 bounty on the “Get Away” performer that sparked the events leading to Dolph’s 2021 death.

    The case hinges on testimony that Big Jook, with a long-standing beef between Young Dolph and Yo Gotti’s crew, met with the gunmen several times prior to the shooting. Prosecutors contend that Johnson and Cornelius Smith, the second man charged with first-degree murder, were both promised financial awards in exchange for their completion of the hit. Johnson, an aspiring rapper, was said to be anxious to take the money and use it to further his ascension in music.

    Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman painted the darkest image of how those meetings played out. He asserted that Big Jook, with another alleged conspirator, Hernandez Govan, engineered the scheme-potential wealth in return for Dolph’s life. Govan has been said to be the mastermind who ordered the hit. Though he is currently not on trial, his presence consistently looms over the trials.

    Young Dolph was born Adolph Thornton Jr. Undeniably one of the most influential independent artists in hip-hop, he was shot and killed on November 17 of 2021 during a visit to a local favorite bakery, Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, located in his hometown of Memphis. According to officials, the attack was captured via CCTV footage as two men exited a white Mercedes and started opening fire upon the rapper. They say the suspects fired several rounds before they fled.

    Johnson and Smith were arrested as well as charged with first-degree murder, among other offenses. The white Mercedes used in the crime was later found abandoned, furthering prosecution claims to tie the suspects to the scene.

    In a newer and rather surprising twist of events that has tangled matters even further, Big Jook himself was killed in January 2024, a little more than a year after the death of Young Dolph. His death has cast a shadow over the trial because prosecutors can no longer call him to testify or answer to the alleged bounty. Details of how Big Jook was killed remain unclear, but his involvement in the plot to kill Young Dolph has become an important point in the ongoing trial.

    While the prosecution painted Johnson as the primary actor and claimed evidence links him directly to the crime, his defense attorney, Luke Evans, has pushed back, arguing evidence putting his client at the scene of the crime is thin. Evans singled out the surveillance footage the prosecution claimed puts Johnson at the scene of the crime. He said the clothing, including a Bass Pro Shop hat, seen in that footage did not constitute evidence that placed Johnson as one of the gunmen.

    “Similar clothing is not enough to convict a man of murder,”

    Evans told the jury.

    Even Evans questioned the veracity of some of the prosecution evidence, even suggesting this could not have been Johnson captured by that CCTV. The defence maintained that although the footage showed two men committing the crime, the footage did not identify Johnson as one of the men.

    It was also a trial that captured the attention of the Memphis community, where Young Dolph was more than just one of its most popular rappers-he was hope, in some respects, and success. His independent label, Paper Route Empire, competed with CMG, founded by Yo Gotti, whose founders fit into the scenario, thereby upping the ante in the increasing fight between the two sides.

    This case drew significant attention from the hip-hop world, too-concerned about the ongoing violence plaguing the rap industry. With several high-profile individuals involved, this has almost become a trial as sideshow spectacle in Memphis and well beyond. A finding of guilt could have wide-ranging implications, not just for those in the dock but for the wider rap community.

    As the court proceedings continue, all eyes are on the Shelby County courtroom, where justice for Young Dolph is being pursued-amid claims of greed, betrayal, and violence.

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