More than four years after Young Dolph’s murder, the final suspect connected to his death is set to take a plea deal.
On Thursday (Feb. 12), Fox13 Memphis reported that Cornelius Smith, 36, agreed to enter a plea deal in his case after confessing to being one of the gunmen who shot and killed Dolph outside Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis on Nov. 17, 2021.
Smith is expected to plead guilty, but before he does, details on where he will be housed with the Tennessee Department of Corrections for his incarceration need to be confirmed.
The court hearing for Smith to enter his guilty plea is scheduled for March 30.
Cornelius Smith is one of three men who were arrested and had their day in court for their role in the slain rapper’s death. In 2024, Smith confessed to participating in the shooting alongside Justin Johnson with the expectation of receiving $40,000 each for killing Dolph. Smith testified against Johnson at the latter’s 2024 trial, and told the court they were sent to kill Dolph as a hit put out by Big Jook, the late brother of Yo Gotti.
Justin Johnson was found guilty on all counts—first degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder and convicted felon in possession of a firearm—and received a life sentence in 2024, while Hernandez Govan, who was accused of being the mastermind of the hit by allegedly operating on instructions from Big Jook, was acquitted of all charges after the jury found Govan not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder last August.
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