MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three former Memphis police officers accused of being involved in the death of Tyré Nichols will get a new trial in federal court after a judge ruled their previous convictions were tainted by judicial bias.

U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman granted the motion for a new trial, wiping away the October 2024 convictions of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.

The decision stems from the June 2025 recusal of Judge Mark Norris, who spent more than two years trying the case. Court documents revealed Norris made inflammatory statements to FBI agents and prosecutors, which included claims that one of the defendants was in a gang and that gang members had infiltrated the Memphis Police Department. The defense attorneys of Bean, Smith and Haley said no evidence of tho

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