Young Dolph‘s alleged murder mastermind, Hernandez Govan, has appeared before Judge Jennifer Mitchell for the first time since she replaced Judge Lee Coffee.
Govan, who was allegedly the one who ordered the hit on the late rapper, stood before Judge Mitchell on Thursday (November 2) for the latest status conference, according to the Daily Memphian. Govan will have to appear in court again on December 14, and the trial is officially set to kick off on March 11, 2024.
Govan has been charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, first-degree murder and criminal attempt of first-degree murder.
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Mitchell was appointed the new judge in the case shortly after Judge Lee Coffee was ordered to recuse himself on October 27.
Coffee’s recusal came as a result of a motion filed by Luke Evans, the lawyer for the co-defendant Justin Johnson, who claimed that Coffee couldn’t be impartial “after the judge failed to inform him about an order limiting Johnson’s ability to communicate with people outside the jail other than Evans,” per the AP.
Coffee all but confined Johnson to administrative segregation — meaning that he would be “denied all telephone, writing, and visitation privileges (excluding attorney visitation) until the disposition of this case” — as a result of the release of a song back in 2022 called “No Statements,” which was reportedly recorded on a contraband cell phone.
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According to Evans, Coffee’s order against his client was “punitive,” since he didn’t let the defense know that he was issuing the order before he did so, and the appeals court agreed.
Coffee’s recusal, however, was met with resistance by Paul Hagerman, deputy district attorney for the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, who told Judge Mitchell’s court that he didn’t feel Judge Coffee did anything wrong, per the Daily Memphian.
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“We did not see any reason for the recusal,” he said. “Of course, the Court of Criminal Appeals disagreed, and we follow the law and we follow their orders. So, here we are in Division 10, and nothing’s gonna stop us. We’re gonna keep on going on this thing.”
The other co-defendants in the case — brothers Jermarcus Johnson and Justin Johnson, and Cornelius Smith — are set to appear in court on December 1, per the outlet. Despite the original judge’s recusal, there will be no delays with the trial date, as of this writing.
Meanwhile, Young Dolph’s first posthumous album Paper Route Frank was released in December 2022. The project features 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Key Glock, Big Moochie Grape, and Snupe Bandz.
