Video Backlog Fixed
They say justice delayed is justice denied. That’s true for several reasons. Prolonging a case is bad for victims, bad for defendants (especially if they’re in custody), and bad overall for deterring crime. If the data from around the country shows one thing, it’s that to deter crime, punishment must be swift and certain (though it need not always be severe).
That’s why speeding up the Shelby criminal justice process will be a signal goal of our office in 2026. You’ll hear more about that in the coming weeks, but right now I just wanted to highlight a discrete success our office had in 2025.
Many delays in the justice system are beyond our control at the DA’s Office. Judges control the docket calendars, most requests for delays come from defendants, and all of us have to wait for autopsies, mental health evaluations, and lab results to come back. But where there are segments of the process which are in our control, we must and will speed up.
One example of this is processing the thousands of hours of case-related video footage we review every year. Defense counsel is entitled to this as part of the pretrial “discovery” process. Our staff has to redact private information, organize and compile the footage by case, and prepare it to be sent off by prosecutors. Until that happens, defense counsel have grounds to ask for court date postponements.
Because of the high volume, we sometimes saw delays here. But we recently reorganized the office to increase the number of staff working on this. With good direction from the supervisor in charge, Tricia Bolton, and hard work from our Legal Investigators and Video Technicians, in 2025 we went from a backlog of several months to being entirely caught up—and even a little ahead of the game.
It’s just one part of a longer process, but every little bit helps.
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Judge Finds Probable Cause in Child Homicide Case: Following a preliminary hearing, General Sessions Court Judge Taylor Bachelor found probable cause and kept bond set at $1 million for Dominica Mosby, who faces charges in the death of 3-year-old Kevin Horton. Prosecutors informed the court that they will seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Mosby is charged with First-Degree Murder, Aggravated Child Abuse, and Aggravated Child Neglect.
On November 15, just after 3 a.m., Memphis Police responded to a call in the 4200 block of Beacon Hills Road after the child’s father found Kevin Horton unresponsive. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators say Mosby, the father’s girlfriend, initially claimed the child became sick. During a later interview, she admitted to abusing the child. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
Mosby will remain in custody.
Chief Prosecutor Eric Christensen & ADA Dru Carpenter are handling the case.
Prosecutors Seek Mental Evaluation in Murder Case: Arsenio Davis did not appear before the judge as scheduled after the court delayed proceedings pending completion of a mental evaluation in a newly obtained case. Davis faces charges of First-Degree Murder and Second-Degree Murder for the killings of his mother and his teenage nephew.
On October 22, Memphis Police responded to the 1600 block of Helsley Road, where officers found a woman shot in the head and a 16-year-old boy dead with multiple cuts and signs of partial dismemberment. During a motion hearing, prosecutors told the court they need a mental evaluation related to a separate case involving the attempted murder of another nephew.
Both the State and defense urged the court to keep the three preliminary hearings separate, as Davis faces charges in three different cases. The court set Davis’s next preliminary hearing for January 28.
DA Mulroy Attends Vigil Honoring Tyre Nichols
 District Attorney Steve Mulroy attended a community vigil marking three years since the traffic stop and beating that led to the death of Tyre Nichols, where he addressed those gathered in remembrance.
During the event, DA Mulroy reaffirmed his office’s commitment to continuing the pursuit of justice in the case, regardless of the legal outcomes to date. He also encouraged members of the Memphis community to remain engaged, to continue honoring Tyre Nichols’ legacy, and to advocate for accountability through their locally elected officials, including asking for sensible police reforms.
"Sen. Taylor is characteristically misinformed on many fronts. First, state law forbids this office from releasing the TBI investigative file. Second, contrary to Sen. Taylor’s assertion, our office, including me personally, did in fact review the video footage of the incident, which included all the interactions of the deputies with Clerk Sawyer. Had any of that indicated any reason to suspect Clerk Sawyer of committing a crime, we would have interviewed her as well. Sen. Taylor has political animosity toward Clerk Sawyer and political reasons for trying to sow doubt about the TBI investigation. In contrast, we make decisions not based on politics but on the facts and the law." |DA Mulroy fires back at Sen. Taylor over investigation into Tami Sawyer courthouse confrontation| via FOX13
“The agents of our Drug Task Force work in the most challenging, high-volume environment in the State, with the best results in the State—proven results, getting better every year,” said Board Member and 30th District DA Steve Mulroy. “I’m grateful for their hard work.” |West Tennessee Drug Task Force seizes nearly 2,000 lbs of drugs in 2025| via WREG3
“A score of Memphis community members, local organizers and elected officials gathered to remember [the Minneapolis mother killed by ICE agents] Good and protest the immigration enforcement activity also occurring here. Among those present were state Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis; Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy; and Shelby County mayoral candidate Mickell Lowery.” |‘Bearing witness matters’: Vigil protests ICE, honors woman shot in Minneapolis| via The Daily Memphian
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