One of the former officers accused in the beating of Tyre Nichols returned to the stand on Wednesday and testified that he lied in his reports to protect his family.
Former Memphis police officer Desmond Mills, was one of the five officers originally charged in the case. But he took a deal and pleaded guilty to federal civil rights and conspiracy charges last November. While in court, he told prosecutors that the goal of the conspiracy was “to not tell the truth.”
Per the Associated Press, Mills returned to the stand for a second day in the trial of three former colleagues, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who are charged in the fatal beating. Mills and another former officer, Emmitt Martin, have testified for prosecutors after pleading guilty.
Mills broke down in tears while testifying against his ex-colleagues. The former officer, who used a baton to beat Nichols, apologized on Wednesday for his role in Nichols’ beating.
“I made his child fatherless,” Mills said of Nichols’ son, now 7. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know sorry can’t bring him back.”
Nichols, 29, died in the hospital several days after the traffic stop on January 7, 2023, where officers pepper sprayed, tased, kicked, punched, and hit him with a baton.
Mills said he knew that the off-camera conversations between the five officers would not be included in their Response to Resistance reports. He said the officers took off their body cameras so that they would not get caught.
He said he was not worried that anyone would tell Lieutenant DeWayne Smith about the beating because they had what he called a “non-verbal, mutual agreement” that what was said off-camera was not to be written in their reports.
Mills admitted that neither he nor any of the other officers informed the dispatcher of the extent of Nichols’ injuries, and admitted that he did not check on Nichols after he had been handcuffed.
“I failed to render aid. I failed,” Mills said.
Mills said he was “going along with the cover-up … hoping for the best.” He added that he hoped Nichols would survive the beating and “this whole thing would blow over.”
“I had a lot at stake. I needed this job for my family,” Mills testified.
Haley, Bean, and Smith pleaded not guilty to federal charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstructing justice through witness tampering. If convicted, they could face life in prison.