MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Justin Johnson was found guilty of murder in the death of rapper Young Dolph on Thursday after the jury heard testimony from a co-defendant that the killing was part of a feud between rival record labels.
Jurors deliberated for just under four hours before finding Johnson guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and being a felon in possession of a gun. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Mitchell sentenced Johnson to life in prison.
Cornelius Smith testified that rapper Yo Gotti’s brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, had put out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph and had also put bounties on all the artists at Young Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire. Smith said he and co-defendant Johnson set out on the morning of Nov. 17, 2021, “looking for somebody” and “didn’t know who we were going to catch.”…