{"id":1685,"date":"2026-05-16T04:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1685"},"modified":"2026-05-16T04:01:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:01:35","slug":"man-pleads-guilty-in-fatal-shooting-of-rapper-young-dolph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1685","title":{"rendered":"Man pleads guilty in fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n article<\/span><\/div>

Young Dolph performs during Rolling Loud New York 2021 at Citi Field on October 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>

Read more Katy residents say they pay more than $100 a month for water that contains sediment<\/a><\/p> <\/div><\/div> <\/div>

MEMPHIS, Tenn.<\/strong> – <\/span>A Tennessee man pleaded guilty Friday in the fatal shooting of Young Dolph during a daytime ambush at a Memphis bakery, bringing a close to years of courtroom proceedings tied to the rapper and music label owner\u2019s shocking hometown killing more than four years ago.<\/p>

Dig deeper:<\/p>

Cornelius Smith Jr., 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Memphis courtroom under an agreement with prosecutors that dropped other charges against him, according to a press release from the district attorney’s office. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of the plea deal.<\/p>

<\/div>

Smith and another man, Justin Johnson, were charged with first-degree murder in the November 2021 killing of Young Dolph at his favorite cookie shop, located near his childhood home in a working-class Memphis neighborhood.<\/p>

Smith was the main witness in the trial of Johnson, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2024 after Smith named him as the second shooter. Johnson was sentenced in September 2024 to life in prison. Johnson was later sentenced for two other convictions from the trial: conspiracy to commit murder and possession of a gun as a felon.<\/p>

Smith also testified at the trial of Hernandez Govan, who was acquitted in August of charges that he organized the killing.<\/p>

The backstory:<\/p>

Young Dolph, whose legal name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was a rapper, independent label owner and producer who grew up in Memphis and was admired in the city for his charitable works. The 36-year-old was in his hometown to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to families when he was killed.<\/p>

The shooting stunned the entertainment world as another death of a rap star killed in their prime, like Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G. and Nipsey Hussle.<\/p>

Authorities said two men exited a white Mercedes-Benz and began shooting at the rapper at the bakery. He died after being shot about 20 times, according to a medical examiner\u2019s report.<\/p>

Read more Suspected Tren de Aragua leader extradited to Houston for federal court appearance<\/a><\/p>

After the killing, the bakery, Makeda\u2019s Homemade Cookies, turned into a memorial to Young Dolph. He was also honored at a Memphis Grizzlies game and the city named a street after him. Murals of the rapper have been painted around the city.<\/p>

Big picture view:<\/p>

Prosecutors have portrayed the killing as part of an effort by Anthony “Big Jook” Mims to get revenge on Young Dolph for diss tracks aimed at Big Jook and the record label he helped run for his brother, rapper Yo Gotti. Smith has testified that Big Jook put out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph as well as smaller bounties on all the artists at Young Dolph\u2019s record label, Paper Route Empire.<\/p>

At the trial of Justin Johnson, a prosecutor told jurors that Cocaine Muzik Group (now known as Collective Music Group), a rival record label founded by Yo Gotti, wanted Young Dolph to work for them, but he turned them down.<\/p>

Big Jook was shot and killed outside a restaurant in January 2024. No arrests have been made in his death, and he was never charged in Young Dolph\u2019s killing.<\/p>

Smith has testified that, “I didn\u2019t know anything about Paper Route having no hits,” before Govan told him about them. He said Govan hired him to “do the hits” and was going to take $10,000 as his cut.<\/p>

But the jury in Govan\u2019s trial was not convinced that he organized the killings.<\/p>

After Young Dolph\u2019s death, social media was filled with messages of respect and love for the rapper, whose music discussed Memphis street life and his crack-addicted parents, alongside hard-earned lessons of strength and perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances. His legacy as a fiercely independent artist and businessman was cemented in the hip-hop universe.<\/p>

Young Dolph began his career by releasing numerous mixtapes. His studio albums include his 2016 debut, “King of Memphis.” He also collaborated on other mixtapes and albums with fellow rappers Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, T.I., Gucci Mane and 2 Chainz, among others. Young Dolph had three albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, with 2020\u2032s “Rich Slave” peaking at No. 4.<\/p>

Read more Supreme Court rejects bid to restore Virginia\u2019s redistricting map favoring Democrats<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Tennessee man pleaded guilty Friday in the 2021 killing of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, bringing a major chapter of the high-profile murder case to a close.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,99,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-entertainment","category-tennessee"],"yoast_head":"\nMan pleads guilty in fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1685\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Man pleads guilty in fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph - 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