A Memphis jury on Thursday found Hernandez Govan not guilty of organizing the 2021 ambush killing of rapper Young Dolph, rejecting prosecutors' claims that he directed the fatal attack outside a local bakery. The jury deliberated for about three hours before acquitting the 45-year-old of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges. Govan, who was accused of orchestrating but not carrying out the shooting, embraced his attorney and thanked Judge Jennifer Mitchell after learning he was free to go.

Prosecutors alleged that Govan instructed two men to kill Young Dolph, born Adolph Thornton Jr., and that he planned to take a $10,000 cut from the job. The state leaned heavily on testimony from admitted gunman Cornelius Smith Jr., who claimed Govan supplied weapons and tipped them off about the r

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