This Friday (1 November), the convicted murderer of Memphis rapper Young Dolph was sentenced to 35 additional years in prison. Tennessee man Justin Johnson was previously convicted of first-degree murder for the drive-by attack, in which the late rapper was shot 22 times in broad daylight. 

Young Dolph (born Adolph Robert Thornton Jr.) was fatally shot while visiting a Memphis bakery on 17 November 2021. In January 2022, police investigators identified the then 23-year-old Justin Johnson as one of Thornton’s murderers. Tennessee law enforcement offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and found Johnson had previous ties to organized crime, with charges under his name. Over five hundred tips led to Johnson’s arrest in Indiana on January 11th, 2022. That same day, his co-conspirator, Cornelius Smith, was arrested for the theft of the car used in the murder; the pair were both indicted on first-degree murder charges the very next day. 

On 26 September, Justin Johnson was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Shelby County Judge Jennifer Mitchell has since sentenced Johnson to two further convictions for conspiracy to commit murder and the possession of firearms as a felon. Court records also revealed convictions for aggravated rape in 2015. Prior to the murder, Johnson had three further aggravated assault convictions and initially had difficulty finding legal representation for the case. 

Justin Johnson’s sentence will run consecutively with the murder count. Elaborating on her sentencing, Judge Jennifer Mitchell spoke of the murderer’s intent to elevate his own status as a rapper, stating: \

“These were crimes committed in our community in the middle of the day for greed, money, and fame.”

Young Dolph was both a rapper and independent record label owner, known for his charity work around Memphis, Tennessee. He was handing out Thanksgiving turkeys to families in need when he was murdered. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Thornton stayed in his hometown and donated $25,000 to his high school, where he often visited to speak to students. His charity work extended to the West Cancer Center, where he donated two-hundred meals to patients. At the time of his murder, he was considering retirement from music to spend more time with his children. 

In the wake of Young Dolph’s death, his family continued his legacy of philanthropy through the Ida Mae Family Foundation, named for the rapper’s late grandmother. Their mission addresses the needs of the community in hopes of enhancing their quality of life through education and cultural preservation. Donations to causes in Young Dolph’s name can be made through their website at https://www.idamae.org/donate.