Overview

• After about three hours of deliberation, the jury found Govan not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the 2021 ambush.
• Prosecutors relied on testimony from admitted shooter Cornelius Smith Jr. and cellphone records linking Govan to Smith, Justin Johnson, and Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, who was alleged to have offered a $100,000 bounty.
• Govan’s defense attacked the police investigation and argued the communications presented did not directly implicate him, casting Smith as an unreliable witness.
• Justin Johnson was convicted in 2024 and is serving a life sentence, while Smith still faces murder and conspiracy charges after testifying in related proceedings.
• Young Dolph, 36, was shot multiple times at a Memphis bakery in November 2021 by two gunmen; with Govan acquitted, parts of the case remain unresolved.