Young Dolph Murder Suspect Acquitted at Trial of Organizing Shooting

A man accused of organizing the hit that killed rapper Young Dolph in 2021 has been found not guilty of criminal charges.

Hernandez Govan was acquitted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after a weeklong trial on Thursday (Aug. 21), according to court records obtained by Billboard. Govan was charged with helping hire two men to fatally shoot Young Dolph (Adolph Thorton Jr.) in broad daylight at a bakery in the 36-year-old rapper’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

One of Dolph’s alleged shooters, Justin Johnson, was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison. The second, Cornelius Smith, is cooperating with Memphis prosecutors in the hopes of getting a more lenient punishment.

Smith testified at the trials of both Johnson and Govan, saying they all conspired to commit the murder after Anthony “Big Jook” Mims – the brother of Yo Gotti, another Memphis rapper who had a public feud with Dolph – put up a $100,000 bounty.

Big Jook, who was never charged in the case, was killed in a shooting last year.

Govan has maintained that he did not direct anybody to kill Dolph. His defense attorney Manny Arora cast Smith as a liar and accused investigators of botching the murder investigation, citing shoddy cell phone records and missing DNA evidence. This appears to have swayed jurors, who acquitted Govan after deliberating for three hours on Thursday.

In a statement shared with Billboard, Arora said his team is “happy with the result” but “disappointed the prosecution decided to pursue this case, knowing the investigation lacked merit.”

“The high profile nature of the case doesn’t mean it is appropriate for the state to put somebody on trial just to satisfy public outcry,” said Arora. “The fact that any judge signed off on warrants to authorize Mr. Govan’s arrest and have him sit in jail for nearly a year is shameful. Memphis deserves better.”

Govan himself addressed Fox 13 Memphis after the verdict on Thursday, calling the prosecution “corrupt.”

“I feel like I’ve been born again,” added Govan. “I get a chance to restart my life and do some positive things.”

Reps from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office did not return a request for comment.

Dolph was a fast-rising star in the rap world before his 2021 murder. He had three albums reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200, with his 2020 LP Rich Slave peaking at No. 4. He founded the independent record label Paper Route Empire, which continues to put out music from Dolph’s protégé Key Glock and other rappers.

This story was updated on Aug. 22 at 12:51 p.m. ET to include an official statement from Govan’s lawyer.