Beyond $800: Justice for Young Dolph and the Cost of Inaction
Young Dolph: His life was worth more than $800 and his legacy demands justice and intervention.
Photo Credit: Slyguy1255/ commons.wikimedia.org
A collective gasp echoed through Memphis following a shocking revelation from the Young Dolph murder trial. Confessed killer Cornelius Smith admitted receiving only an $800 advance payment for what he described as a paid hit against Dolph. Another defendant, Justin Johnson, was found guilty of murder in the case. While social media fixated on the paltry payment—as if any amount could justify murder—buried within Smith's testimony were other crucial details that spoke to the larger “why.” Details that indict us all.
When asked how he felt after killing the acclaimed Memphis rapper, Smith shared that he felt “nothing at the time,” explaining that after his young son's death, he started “popping pills and caring about nothing.” The layers of tragedy are thick here. First, there is the profound loss of Young Dolph. Born Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., Dolph was a devoted father of two and a loving provider to his partner, Mia Jaye, when he died in 2021.
Then, there are the ripple effects of his murder. Countless retaliatory killings have stained Memphis streets, shattering families and pushing the city to record murder rates. Among the victims of this alleged retaliation was Anthony "Big Jook" Mims, the brother and business partner of Mario Mims who is better known as Memphis rapper Yo Gotti. According to Smith's testimony, Jook orchestrated the hit on Dolph.
Smith’s own story is a tragedy, too. Before Dolph's murder, he served time for attempted robbery and aggravated assault. In 2021, Smith was a young man with a criminal past and a broken heart, lost in a fog of grief and substance abuse. He popped so many pills to numb the pain of his own poor choices and his son’s death that it led him to "caring about nothing" and down a dark path to murder. Smith's circumstances don't justify his crimes or erase their devastating effects, yet they do raise urgent questions.
Did this grieving father receive support? Did he have access to mental health services or reentry programs? Did he ever see those ads for free rehab for those suffering from substance abuse, the ones that promise hope but often fail to reach those who need it most? I have many questions, but none revolve around an $800 payment.
The most salient question is: how many other Cornelius Smiths are out there, and what interventions are needed to reach them now? The frightening truth is that there are thousands of walking wounded, and they're getting younger. In 2021, the year Dolph died, one in four Tennessee high schoolers reported witnessing violence in their neighborhoods. And more than 40% reported feeling hopeless for a significant period. These are not just statistics; they are young lives at stake.
While most of these young Tennesseans won't respond to this hopelessness or violence with crime, too many will if we continue ignoring the ripple effects of unaddressed trauma. Cornelius Smith took the wrong path and is rightly facing the consequences of his crime. But we, too, will face consequences unless we take a dual path: justice for Young Dolph and intervention for the hurting and hollowed among us who are teetering on the brink of disaster. If we fail to compassionately intervene, the cost of inaction will be far greater than $800.
Dr. Cathryn Stout is a theology student and independent scholar of American cultural studies in Memphis, TN. To invest in her work and studies, visit https://cash.app/$DrCatStout or https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/CathrynStout.