When the news broke that rapper Young Dolph was killed at Makeda’s Homemade Cookies in Memphis back in 2021, the city felt like it stopped breathing for a second. It wasn't just another headline. Dolph was a local hero, the guy handing out turkeys for Thanksgiving, a mogul who stayed independent. People wanted answers fast. They wanted to know who pulled the trigger, but more importantly, they wanted to know who called the shot.
That brings us to the name that has been swirling around courtrooms and social media for years: Hernandez Govan.
If you’ve been following the trial, you know the name. But there’s a massive difference between being "the guy the police say did it" and what actually happened in front of a jury. Honestly, the story of Hernandez Govan is one of the most complicated pieces of this entire tragedy.
Hernandez Govan: The Man at the Center of the Storm
So, who is he? Hernandez Govan is a 45-year-old Memphis man who prosecutors labeled the "mastermind" or the "organizer" behind the killing of Adolph Thornton Jr.—better known as Young Dolph.
He wasn't the one standing outside that cookie shop with a gun. Nobody ever claimed he was. Instead, the state of Tennessee argued that Govan was the middleman. They alleged he was the bridge between the money and the muscle. Specifically, they claimed he was working with Anthony "Big Jook" Mims, the brother of rapper Yo Gotti, to put a hit on Dolph.
According to the prosecution's theory, there was a $100,000 bounty on Dolph’s head. They said Govan recruited the shooters—Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith—and basically gave them the "green light" once he knew Dolph was back in Memphis for his annual charity work.
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The Trial and the Shocking "Not Guilty" Verdict
Here is where things got really messy. By August 2025, most people assumed Govan was headed for a conviction. After all, Justin Johnson had already been found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Cornelius Smith had literally taken the stand and admitted to being one of the shooters.
Smith didn't just admit to his own role; he pointed the finger directly at Govan. He told the jury that Govan hired him to "do the hits" and that Govan was supposed to take a $10,000 cut for setting everything up.
But on August 21, 2025, after only about three hours of deliberation, the jury came back with a verdict that left the courtroom stunned.
Hernandez Govan was found not guilty. He was acquitted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. One minute he was facing life behind bars; the next, he was hugging his lawyer, Manny Arora, and thanking the judge. He walked out of that courtroom a free man.
Why the Prosecution’s Case Fell Apart
You’re probably wondering how someone gets acquitted when a co-defendant literally testifies against them. It mostly came down to a lack of "receipts."
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Defense attorney Manny Arora did a number on the state's evidence. He basically told the jury that Cornelius Smith was a "pathological liar" who would say anything to get a lighter sentence for himself. That’s a common tactic, but it worked because the physical evidence was thin.
- No Smoking Gun in the Phones: The state showed dozens of calls between Govan, the shooters, and Big Jook. But they couldn't prove what was actually said. Without recordings, a phone call is just a phone call.
- The "Fall Guy" Defense: Arora argued that Govan was being framed by the real killers or that the police just needed a big name to close the case.
- The FBI Rumor: In a weird twist during the trial, it came out that some people believed Govan might have been an FBI informant. While never proven, it added enough "weirdness" to the case to make the jury hesitate.
Basically, the jury didn't have enough to bridge the gap between "this guy hangs out with criminals" and "this guy ordered a murder." In the eyes of the law, "probably" isn't enough for a life sentence.
Life After the Acquittal
When Govan walked out of that building, reporters asked him what he was going to do first. His answer was simple: "Hug my son."
It’s hard to imagine the whiplash of spending years under a cloud of suspicion—including nine months in jail and a long stint on house arrest—only to have it all vanish in an afternoon. But while the legal system is finished with him, the streets of Memphis are a different story.
The Young Dolph murder has left a permanent scar on the hip-hop community. Even with Govan's acquittal, the "Big Jook" connection remains a point of massive speculation, especially since Jook himself was shot and killed outside a restaurant in early 2024.
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What This Means for the Young Dolph Case
With Hernandez Govan cleared, the legal pursuit of the "mastermind" has reached a bit of a dead end. Justin Johnson is in for life. Cornelius Smith is still waiting on his own fate after cooperating. But as far as the state is concerned, the person they thought organized the whole thing is now legally innocent.
For fans of Dolph, the verdict felt like a lack of closure. For Govan, it was a second lease on life.
If you're following this case, the main thing to remember is that the "truth" in a courtroom is only what you can prove with hard evidence. The state had a story, but they didn't have the proof to back it up.
To stay informed on where the remaining defendants like Cornelius Smith stand, keep an eye on the Shelby County court dockets for 2026. The legal fallout from that day at the cookie shop isn't quite over yet, even if Hernandez Govan has moved on.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Review the Trial Transcripts: If you want to see exactly where the prosecution stumbled, look into the Day 3 cross-examination of Cornelius Smith by Manny Arora.
- Track the Remaining Cases: Watch for the sentencing or trial dates of Cornelius Smith, as his cooperation was the backbone of the state's failed case against Govan.
- Support Local Memphis Journalism: Outlets like The Daily Memphian and WREG provided the most granular, boots-on-the-ground coverage of these proceedings.