Young Dolph's alleged killer said Yo Gotti's label CMG paid his legal fees

There's been no shortage of major reveals during the trial surrounding Young Dolph's murder, which started this week. Just days ago, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman said Yo Gotti's brother Big Jook put a hit on Dolph for $100,000.

It's important to note that Dolph and Gotti were engaged in a huge beef, which Dolph said started after he declined a record deal from Gotti and CMG. On top of that, Big Jook was shot and killed in Memphis on January 13, 2024.

The other big revelation in the trial involves Cornelius Smith, who said on the stand that CMG paid his $50,000 legal fees. Smith also admitted to being one of the people who shot and killed Dolph and said he met with Big Jook about the killing. "I don’t know exactly who," said Smith about the person from CMG who paid his legal fees. "I didn’t get it in my hand."

On Monday Smith told the court that he was only paid $800 of the $40,000 that he was supposed to get for the killing — first getting one payment for $500, then another for $300. Justin Johnson, another person who's accused of the murder and is now on trial, also received $40,000, and a third person, Hernandez Govan, got $20,000, according to Smith. All three men are charged with first-degree murder.

Plus, Smith told the court that he committed the murder on his daughter's birthday, all because he needed the money to make her birthday special. "Man, I was trying to make it right for her," he explained, according to Complex. "I ain't have no money. I'm trying to get some money that day. So, I'm trying to make sure my baby girl have a beautiful birthday."

Neither Yo Gotti or a CMG rep have responded to Smith's claim that the label paid his legal fees. Dolph was shot and killed on November 17, 2021, in his hometown of Memphis at a business called Makeda's Cookies.