Young Dolph Suspect Pleads Guilty to Aiding Gunman After Rapper’s Murder

Jemarcus Johnson, a man accused of helping one of the gunmen who allegedly killed Young Dolph (real name Adolph Thorton, Jr.), pleaded guilty on Friday to three counts of accessory after the fact that aided in the attempted coverup of Dolph’s death.

While Johnson “had no involvement” in the shooting of Dolph or its planning, he took a car from defendant Justin Johnson, his half-brother and one of the gunmen, to misdirect probation officers and help Justin escape Memphis, prosecutor Paul Hagerman said in court, according to WREG.

“Taking possession of the cell phone and the car aided in Mr. Justin Johnson in his continued evasion of the authorities and the continued cover-up of the conspiracy,” Hagerman said, explaining that Jemarcus helped misdirect authorities while using his half-brother’s phone.

The three accessory counts come after he was originally charged with conspiracy to first-degree murder. He now faces six to 12 years in prison and will be sentenced on Aug. 10, per WREG. He was given a bond of $25,000.

The new guilty plea comes nearly two years after Dolph’s murder in South Memphis, and several months after a man named Hernandez Govan was indicted for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after being accused of ordering Doplh’s killing. (He paid bond and was released on May 11.)

Young Dolph was shot 22 times at a bakery in Memphis last November. Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith, Jr., were arrested and charged last year. They both pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a fireman, and theft of property over $10,000. 

Nearly two years later, his fans and those who closest to him continue to remember and honor him. Many of his friends spoke to Rolling Stone about his generous life and legacy outside of just music for an in-depth obituary.

“He would not give up because the odds were stacked against him. What made him keep going was the ambition to hustle. People doubted him. To prove people wrong, he kept going,” his longtime friend Odom Hamm told Rolling Stone last October.