Overview
- Cornelius Smith Jr., who pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder, received a 20-year sentence that prosecutors said allows no parole.
- Smith admitted in court that he and Justin Johnson ambushed Young Dolph at Makeda’s Homemade Cookies in November 2021, firing multiple rounds captured on surveillance video.
- His cooperation made him the key witness against Johnson, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2024 and is serving a life term, while prosecutors dismissed Smith’s other charges under the plea.
- Smith also testified in 2025 at the trial of Hernandez Govan, whom a jury acquitted of organizing the killing, as prosecutors advanced allegations of a $100,000 bounty tied to Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, who was never charged and was killed in 2024.
- The plea brings the prosecutions to a close in what the district attorney called a step toward closure for Young Dolph’s family after years of hearings and delays.