Both suspects in Young Dolph murder in custody

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Two men wanted for the shooting death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph are in custody.

Justin Johnson, 23, and 32-year-old Cornelius Smith are charged with first-degree murder in Dolph’s Nov. 17 shooting.

Johnson was captured in Indiana Tuesday by U.S. Marshals. Law enforcement offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to Johnson’s arrest. It’s not immediately clear if the reward or a tip led to his capture.

According to the U.S. Marshal Service, members of the Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force captured Johnson around 3 p.m.

U.S. Marshall Tyreece Miller, Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis and Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich will hold a joint news conference Wednesday to share more details about Johnson’s arrest and the investigation into Dolph’s murder.

Smith was indicted Tuesday. He was originally arrested Dec. 9 in Southaven on an auto-theft warrant involving the white Mercedes Benz that was used in Dolph’s murder. The car was taken in a carjacking Nov. 10 at a gas station in the 2800 block of Kirby Road and found Nov. 20 behind a home in the 1100 block of Bradley in Orange Mound.

Smith was extradited Tuesday and transferred to the Shelby County Jail from the DeSoto County Jail where he had been since his arrest.

Smith is also indicted on the following charges:

• Convicted felon in possession of a firearm
• Employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony
• Theft of property over $10,000

Smith is being held without bond.

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