Justin Johnson, one of the suspects in the November 2021 murder of Young Dolph (Adolph Thorton Jr.), was found guilty on first-degree murder as well as charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, per FOX13.

A jury reached the verdict during a court hearing in Memphis on Thursday (Sept. 26) after about four hours of deliberation.

Following the fourth day’s closing arguments, Johnson was sentenced to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge by Judge Jennifer Mitchell and he will learn his fate when it comes to the additional charges during a November court date. Johnson never took the defense stand.

“Every murder’s a tragedy, and we take them all seriously,” said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. “This one generated extra public interest because Young Dolph was a prominent and beloved member of the community. We will continue to fight hard to make sure that all of those responsible for his death are brought to justice.”

Johnson and fellow alleged gunman, Cornelius Smith, ambushed Young Dolph on Nov. 17, 2021, at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in his hometown. They allegedly fired 22 shots while striking and killing the Paper Route Empire CEO.

Smith took the stand on Monday (Sept. 23) after pleading guilty to murder charges. He implicated himself along with Justin Johnson as well as Hernandez “Quett” Govan and Yo Gotti‘s brother Anthony “Big Jook” Mims in Dolph’s murder.

Smith claimed that Big Jook put a $100,000 bounty on Dolph and explained that he and Johnson were each supposed to collect $40,000 after killing the Memphis rapper.

However, Smith testified that he only ended up receiving $800, but Big Jook did step in to pay $50,000 in lawyer fees once he was apprehended. Although, Jook was murdered while leaving a funeral in January.

The same day Dolph was killed also happened to be Smith’s daughter’s birthday. Smith said he had no money and wanted to make sure she had a “beautiful birthday” if he got his hands on the cash.

“Man, I was trying to make it right for her,” he told the court on Monday. “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.”

Dolph released seven studio albums while he was alive and a posthumous LP, Paper Route Frank, arrived in 2022. He also has four Billboard Hot 100 hits to his name. The Memphis trailblazer is survived by his fiancée Mia Jaye and their two children. Young Dolph was 36 years old.

Karol G tallies a second week at No. 1 spot on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” holds atop the ranking (dated Sept. 28). She is just the third woman in a solo role to rule the chart in 2024, after Tini and Nicki Nicole, whose “Pa” and “Ojos Verdes” led the April 27- and June 8-dated lists, respectively.

Valentino Merlo and The La Planta’s “Hoy” remains at No. 2 for a second week, after the song’s 11-week coronation starting the July 6-dated tally.

It’s a big week for 16-year-old Merlo, who in addition to “Hoy” places three other songs on the chart, encompassing his complete career entries. “Si Un Día Estás Sola (Big One Crossover #7),” with Big One and Emanero, surges 20-5 with the Greatest Gainer honors, for Merlo’s third top 10. Big One, meanwhile, collects his eighth top 10, and Emanero secures his second. Plus, “Princesa,” with Paulo Londra and Luck Ra, debuts at No.20.

Maria Becerra takes the “Hot Shot Debut” of the week as “Agora” arrives at No.6, for the Argentinian’s record-extending 29th top 10.

Argentinian rock legend Charly García makes his maiden chart visit thanks to two songs from his latest album La Lógica del Escorpión. While “Rómpela” manages a No. 37 launch, “Yo Ya Sé” opens at No. 80.

Three other songs debut on the 100-deep ranking, starting with Cris Mj and FloyyMenor’s second team-up, “Después De La 1,” at No. 42. “Se Dice Mi,” by Doble P, Pereira Remix and Tuti DJ, follows at No. 53, while LIT Killah and Nicki Nicole’s “Somos 3” bows at No. 66.

Pink is speaking out about a rumor that’s spread online this week linking her to Sean “Diddy” Combs following his recent arrest.

The rumor in question began with people noticing that the pop singer had wiped her account clean on X. In light of the Bad Boy Records founder readying himself for trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, some Internet sleuths drew conclusions that Pink’s absence from the website implied she was trying to erase clues that she was somehow involved in the scandal — but the one glaring problem with that theory is that the “So What” singer deactivated her profile nearly eight months ago.

“I don’t know why I became a headline this week, but I wiped my Twitter account on February 6!!!” Pink wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, sharing a screenshot of her final tweet: “This account will self destruct in two minutes. Do it!!!!!!”

“There is no truth to the rumors spread this week, and while I’ve met people in passing, I’m not associated with any of the people mentioned,” she added.

Pink isn’t the only musician whose X habits have sparked Diddy-related rumors recently. Usher also had to speak out when people spread similar claims based on his own recent departure from the site, which he explained Sunday had merely been due to a hack. “Account got hacked and damn y’all ran with it!” he tweeted at the time, having seemingly recovered his account.

Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., ahead of his trial, which — if he’s found guilty on all charges of physical abuse, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and more — could end with him being sentenced to life in prison. He’s been denied bail twice so far, with Judge Andrew L. Carter reasoning that the hip-hop titan poses a flight risk with the resources to intimidate witnesses if he wanted to.

See P!nk’s post below.

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Hosting a party requires a few must-have supplies to turn the night from fun to unforgettable. Instead of investing in a speaker, karaoke machine and party lights separately, Sony has created a bluetooth speaker that does all three in one compact device.

The SRS XV-500 Karaoke Speaker is priced just under $400 and comes with luxurious features like built-in X-Balanced speakers to provide distortion-free. You’ll also get a 3-in-1 design as it can go from Bluetooth speaker, karaoke machine to light show with just a touch of a button. Its multipurpose capabilities haven’t gone unnoticed either as the XV-500 has sold out on Sony’s website, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t pick up your own.

Keep reading to discover where to buy the Sony bluetooth speaker online.

Sony SRS-XV500 X-Series Karaoke Party Speaker

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You can enjoy a “live concert-like experience” whenever you want once you power on this karaoke speaker, according to the official product description. You can determine what kind of ambiance you want using the touch control panel located on top of the speaker including the lights, volume and bass level.

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Reviewers have also been praising its “incredibly long bluetooth range” that’ll let you walk around your house with your smart device without worrying about losing connection. Plus, with its 25-hour max battery life, you can keep the party going for hours without needing to recharge — but just in case it does need some juicing up, Sony’s speaker was built with quick-charge technology. It’s also designed with weather-resistant materials that’ll let you take the device on the go — including to your next picnic in the park.

Its popularity has also landed it an Amazon Choice badge with shoppers giving it a 4.6 star rating for its “strong” bass and ability to transform your space into a “home theater.”

For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best portable recording booths, karaoke microphones and podcast equipment and microphones.