The man who is said to have ordered the hit in the murder of rapper Young Dolph is getting a new lawyer, in the middle of trial.
On Thursday, Hernandez Govan, the suspect accused of masterminding the shooting that took out the Memphis chart-topper, came to court without representation, according to WREG.
Gone was attorney William Massey, the lawyer who had been representing the suspect for a little under a half year.
The presiding judge Lee Coffee said his absence has indicated “that some sort of conflict had arisen. I don’t know the nature of it.”
The new lawyer representing the suspect is attorney Manny Arora. Arora was not in the courtroom because he is currently licensed to work in Tennessee. To circumvent this obstacle, the in-person counsel will be local lawyer Handel Durham Jr.
Prosecutor Paul Hagerman said the legal team will have to “get up to speed” to effectively represent their client and not impede the case.
However, he did add, “He may already be up to speed and he has all of the discovery.”
Prosecutors suspect that Govan began planning to assassinate Young Dolph in June 2021. Authorities have not disclosed the reason behind the shooting to the public.
In December 2022, Govan mentioned that he had not received proper medical attention for blood pressure issues, chest pains, and tingling in his arm due to inadequate staffing at the jail.
Judge Lee Coffee promised to address the issue by speaking with the chief jailer, alleviating claims he might not be treated well in prison.