MEMPHIS, Tenn., (Aug. 19, 2026) — Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel attorneys Jake Brown and Brice Timmons released the following statement in response to the verdict in the trial of former Shelby County corrections officers Stevon Jones and Courtney Parham in connection with the death of Gershun Freeman.
The jury convicted Parham of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment, lesser charges than the second-degree murder and aggravated assault counts both men faced, and acquitted Jones. Parham is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 25.
Freeman, 33, died in the Shelby County Jail on Oct. 5, 2022, during an altercation with corrections officers while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. The West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center ruled his manner of death a homicide.
The attorneys released the following statement:
“Gershun Freeman entered the Shelby County Jail alive, and he never came home. His family had to watch the footage of his final moments and then carry that with them for nearly four years. Gershun was in a mental health crisis. He was in the custody of people who were responsible for his safety, and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. Today’s verdict brings a measure of accountability, and the work is not finished. We will keep pressing on behalf of the Freeman family and every other family with a loved one in custody.”
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Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
