Desmond Mills Jr., one of the five former Memphis police officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols, plans to change his plea to federal offenses, his attorney said.
The attorney, Blake Ballin, said Mills will be entering a change of plea during a hearing on Thursday. Mills previously pleaded not guilty back in September to federal civil rights, conspiracy and obstruction offenses.
The federal indictment alleges that Mills -- along with Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith and Emmitt Martin III -- deprived Nichols of his constitutional rights during the confrontation. The officers allegedly spoke at the scene about how they had struck Nichols, "including hitting Nichols with straight haymakers and taking turns hitting him with so many pieces," but they also did not relay that information to first responders or their supervisors even as his condition "deteriorated and he became unresponsive," the indictment alleges.