Man Accused of Arranging Ambush Found Not Guilty

Hernandez Govan, who faced charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the shooting death of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, has been found not guilty. The 45-year-old was freed following three hours of deliberation, according to the Associated Press.

Govan was arrested and charged in November 2022. At the time, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy claimed that Govan “solicited the murder and put it into motion.” Govan pleaded not guilty. He was not explicitly accused of murdering Dolph, who was gunned down on Nov. 17, 2021 while visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis. The rapper was shot 22 times by two masked gunmen.

Justin Johnson, one of the two men charged in the shooting, was sentenced to life in prison in September 2024 after being found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman argued in court that Johnson and Cornelius Smith, the other suspected gunman who has yet to stand trial, had been hand-picked by Govan to carry out the attack.

Smith testified against Govan, stating that Govan hired him and Johnson to “do the hits” and notified them of when Dolph would be in Memphis. He argued that he was unaware that there were “hits” out on Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire, prior to speaking to Govan. He also suspected that Govan might have been working with the FBI. Govan’s defense attorney Manny Arora stated that Smith’s testimony was influenced by his desire to receive a less harsh sentence than Johnson.

Arora argued that the cellphone communications presented in court between Govan, Johnson, and Smith did not directly tie his client to the killings in an incriminating manner. “While we are happy with the result, we were disappointed the prosecution decided to pursue this case, knowing the investigation lacked merit,” Arora tells Rolling Stone. “The high-profile nature of the case doesn’t mean it is appropriate for the State to put someone/anyone on trial. 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.”

“You spend so much time making mistakes, learning from your mistakes, going through growing pains with someone, to finally have a period of time to experience everything that you wanted to, to finally get to a place where you’re ready to submit your love,” Dolph’s partner, Mia Jaye, previously told Rolling Stone. “We were in a place of love. We wanted to celebrate with our loved ones. We were ready, you know? And the day never comes, you know, because [he] was taken away in the blink of an eye, like, just never saw it coming.”