Florida
Who is YNW Melly? Update on Rapper’s Florida Retrial in Death Penalty Case
A date for YNW Melly’s double murder retrial has been set – but the rapper will have to wait over a year behind bars for it.
Court records show that Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Maurice Demons, is set for retrial on September 25, 2025. A pre-trial hearing is set for December 5, 2024.
Melly’s lawyer David Howard declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.
The rapper’s first double murder trial ended in a mistrial after a Miami jury could not unanimously decide whether he was guilty or not guilty.
“These types of decisions, they’re hard decisions,” Judge John Murphy said to deadlocked jurors. “We very much appreciate the fact that you gave us the time because we’ve been here a long time. We understand that. You gave us the time and you did your best effort to [bring about resolution], but unfortunately that wasn’t able to happen.”
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
Who is YNW Melly?
YNW Melly, 25, is a rapper and songwriter from Gifford, Florida, best known for his breakout hit Murder on My Mind and Mixed Personalities featuring Kanye West.
His legal troubles began making headlines in 2019 when he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
On October 26, 2018, YNW Melly was accused of fatally shooting two of his friends, Anthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy), in Miramar, Florida.
Prosecutors claim that YNW Melly, along with fellow rapper YNW Bortlen (Cortlen Henry), staged the murders to look like a drive-by shooting. Melly was arrested in February 2019 and has been in jail since.
A self-recorded video of Melly stuffed inside a suitcase before turning himself into police in Miramar police was shown in court, but not to jurors.
“My name is Melly, and I’m going to turn myself in,” he whispers in the February 2019 video. “But I’m in a suitcase because these c—kers are arresting me, and I want to get on a private jet so they don’t see me.”
YNW Bortlen was also arrested as an accomplice. Both were charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty for Melly.
Prosecutors claim that forensic evidence, including phone records and ballistic reports, shows Melly’s involvement in the killings. They allege that Melly shot both victims from inside the car and then worked with YNW Bortlen to stage the crime scene.
The exact motive behind the alleged murders remains unclear, though there have been various theories, including disputes over money or power within the group. The State of Florida is seeking the death penalty, citing the premeditated nature of the crime, Melly’s alleged actions to cover it up, and the brutality of the incident.
The trial has faced multiple delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and legal maneuvering by the defense.
Melly also faces legal challenges related to his time in jail, including accusations of conspiracy to escape from prison, though these have not been substantiated.
Melly is being held at the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale. In September, a judge denied his lawyers’ request for bond as he awaits retrial.
Bortlen was freed on bond in August 2021 but reportedly arrested on witness tampering charges following a Miami home raid by law enforcement in October 2023. He was originally slated to begin his trial that same month but it has been rescheduled.
Bortlen has been held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Florida since October.
Multiple Personality Disorder
In 2022, Melly’s legal team filed a motion to declare him mentally incompetent to stand trial, although the prosecution has contested this claim.
Melly told Complex in 2019 that he has multiple personality disorder, a dissociative disorder that involves having two or more distinct identities within the same person. Melly claimed to have six personalities but has only revealed Melly and Melvin.
“Melvin’s not an alter ego; it’s a person,” he told the outlet. “I got mixed personalities. It’s another person.”
“Melly is a joker. He’s just the one that everybody loves, and he loves everybody,” he continued. “Melvin is the one that protect Melly from the wrong people.”
Melly has also claimed that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD.
Other Rapper Trials
The murder of Tupac Shakur remains one of the most famous unsolved cases in the history of hip-hop and popular culture. Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He succumbed to his injuries six days later, on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25.
Last October, a suspect was finally charged with Shakur’s murder. Prosecutors claim Duane “Keefe D” Davis was the gang leader who orchestrated the killing and is the only person still alive who was allegedly in the car from which the shots were fired.
Meanwhile, Patrick Clark, the man who allegedly shot and killed Migos rapper Takeoff in 2022, has a court date set for January 23, 2024.
Young Thug is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets individuals who commit offenses under a criminal organization in 2022. Williams and other defendants are facing charges related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity, along with drug and gun charges. His trial remains ongoing.
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Charmaine Hickey, of Lang Realty in Port St. Lucie, was named in KNOW Women’s “100 Women to KNOW in America” list.
A Treasure Coast woman was named in a “100 Women to know in America” list for 2026.
KNOW Women is a global media company dedicated to giving women leaders connections and visibility. The company released a list of “100 Women to know in America” for 2026 to highlight the most influential women in business and leadership.
Charmaine Hickey, who works for Lang Realty in Port St. Lucie, was on the list.
“Charmaine’s recognition on a national stage like this comes as no surprise,” said Scott Agran, president of Lang Realty in a news release. “Her leadership, integrity, and commitment to both her profession and her community exemplify what this award stands for. She represents the very best of our industry.”
Hickey holds many industry designations and is known for her expertise in complex real estate transactions, as well as her client-first approach defined by honesty, patience and attention to detail, according to the news release.
Her community involvement includes serving on nonprofit boards, mentoring emerging leaders and supporting initiatives focused on education, women, families and youth.
“I am truly honored to be recognized among such an inspiring group of women,” said Hickey in the news release. “This award reflects not just individual achievement, but the power of community, mentorship, and lifting others as we grow. I’m grateful to be part of a network of women who are building meaningful impact every day.”
To see the full list go to theknowwomen.com.
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
A Florida surgeon who is facing criminal charges after allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen has said he is “forever traumatized” by that person’s death.
In a deposition from November that was recently obtained by NBC, 44-year-old Thomas Shaknovsky described the death of 70-year-old William Bryan as an “incredibly unfortunate event that I regret deeply”.
Bryan died after the botched surgery; and in April, a grand jury in Tallahassee indicted Shaknovsky on a charge of manslaughter.
“I’m forever traumatized by it and hurt by it,” Shaknovsky added, also saying that wrong-site surgeries can happen “during difficult circumstances”.
The deposition provided Shaknovksy’s first detailed account of the operation that killed Bryan and eventually garnered national news headlines.
According to Shaknovksy’s deposition, after removing Bryan’s liver, the surgeon instructed a nurse to label the organ as a “spleen” – and he also identified it as a spleen in Bryan’s postoperative notes. Shaknovsky later said he had been “mentally compromised” at the time of Bryan’s death, explaining that he was “devastated, demoralized, crying over his passing, felt that I failed him”.
A lawsuit filed by Bryan’s widow, Beverly Bryan, accuses Shaknovsky of medical malpractice. The suit alleges that he “wrongfully omitted any reference to Mr Bryan’s liver being removed in order to ‘cover up’ his gross negligence/recklessness and to hopefully avoid the embarrassment due to such derelict care”, as NBC reported.
In April, the Walton county sheriff’s office said in a statement that Shaknovsky’s actions inflicted on Bryan “catastrophic blood loss and the patient’s death on the operating table”.
Shaknovsky’s deposition testimony described the chaos in the operating room after Bryan began bleeding extensively, causing his heart to stop. Medical staff performed chest compressions, and Shaknovsky attempted to find where the bleeding was coming from.
“I couldn’t tell the difference because I was so upset,” he said, referring to the organ he mistakenly identified.
“It was like a overflown sink that’s clogged up, and I am looking for a fork at the bottom, trying to feel and find the bleed, and I was not able to do so,” Shaknovsky said. He added: “After 20 minutes of struggling – desperately trying – to save his life, that’s when the wrong-site event took place.
“It’s a devastating thing, which I will have to live with the rest of my life,” Shaknovsky said in the eight-hour deposition reviewed by NBC. “I think about it every single day.”
After the medical team was unable to resuscitate Bryan, Shaknovsky said he went to the hospital’s medical library. “I went there to cry because I was devastated,” he said. “I didn’t want the staff to see me like that.”
Despite a spleen typically being significantly smaller than a liver, Shaknovsky said he believed Bryan’s spleen was “double the size of what is normal” because of a mass on it. Beverly Bryan’s lawsuit, however, states that a medical examiner told her that her husband’s spleen was anatomically “nearly normal”, according to NBC.
Shaknovsky would face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if eventually convicted as charged.
Omelet, taco and chicken salad joints are in, while spaghetti gelato, pizza and (for now) wing places are out.
At least when it comes to recent openings and closings on the Southwest Florida foodie scene, that is.
Let’s begin this recap of events in Cape Coral, where a popular breakfast-and-lunch restaurant made its long-awaited debut.
This is where the omelets come in…
House of Omelets
The fourth location of this popular breakfast and lunch restaurant made its highly anticipated debut along Cape Coral Parkway on Monday, May 4.
“It’s amazing,” owner Toni Dedaj said. “I’m very happy. I like this area, the way Cape Coral is growing. And this building is beautiful.”
That building is the eye-catching Bimini Square off Cape Coral Parkway. House of Omelets, which anchors the first-floor northeast corner unit, has a classic European feel. With seating for 89 inside and 40 outside, it’s about half the size of Dedaj’s Pine Island Road location.
“We like it,” he said. “We still have the big menu, but we like the smaller seating area. Service is more personal.”
And speaking of that menu (the same you’ll find at all House of Omelets locations), it is indeed huge, with about 30 signature omelets alone. Add in all the egg dishes (House Slam is a best seller), favorites (like corned beef hash and chicken & waffles), off the griddle dishes (multiple pancake, French toast and waffle options), Benedicts and crepes, and we’re already up to huge without even getting to the lunch items.
Those include appetizers, salads, signature sandwiches (from lobster grilled cheese to Philly steak), burgers & melts, and pitas & wraps. Free parking can be found in the parking garage, shared with neighboring Bimini Basin Seafood.
“It’s easy in and out,” Dedaj said. “Very easy. Come visit us.” Find it at 440 Cape Coral Parkway; (239) 360-8083; there are two locations in Cape Coral and one each in Fort Myers and Naples. Go to houseofomelets.com or follow on Instagram.
Chicken Salad Chick
More than 100 customers were waiting outside when this chicken salad-loving, fast-casual restaurant opened its new Cape Coral location on April 29. Located in the Shops at Del Sol (near Swig!), Chicken Salad Chick has 13 different types of chicken salad, including traditional, fruity & nutty, savory and spicy flavors. Get it in one or two scoops, in a sandwich, in a melt (Bacon cheddar or chicken) or in a BLT. A turkey club is also available. It’s all scratch-made, just like the sides which include broccoli, grape and pasta salads, fresh fruit, mac ‘n cheese and soup. A few desserts (white chocolate layer cake and signature cookies) are also on the menu. Get it all by dining in, driving through, taking out, or by delivery. It’s open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Go to chickensaladchick.com or follow on Facebook for more.
Point Ybel Brewing
We recently checked out this brewery’s new downtown Fort Myers location off First Street in the Fortiner Building, and we love it. It’s all the good things from the original San Carlos Boulevard location plunked down in a lighter, brighter space (and it’s next to another Chocolattes location!!!). With 17 taps, you’ll find all the same award-winning beers Point Ybel is known for — including Sanibel Light, Snook Bite IPA, Sanibel Red and (our favorite) The Full Breakfast stout. Even though it’s only been open since April 11, it’s already right at home with a full slate of events — from live music and yoga to trivia and music bingo.
“This is a new chapter for us,” owner and brewer Jordan Weisberg said. “We’re excited for it. We want to build the same community downtown that we have (in south Fort Myers).”
It’s off to a great start. Drop by 2451 First St., Fort Myers; (239) 603-6565; pointybelbrew.com and on Facebook
Turco Taco
With three locations in Naples, this fast-casual taco joint has finally come to downtown Fort Myers. It opened April 24 at 2451 First Street. In a former office space, it’s across from Fort Myers Regional Library, on the northwest corner of First and Bay streets. Turco Taco is known for its fresh and bold gourmet Mexican-Turkish fusion tacos, gourmet quesadillas and organic salads. We can’t wait to check it out. (239) 344-7732; theturcotaco.com or on Facebook
Capriotti’s
We’ve already reported that this popular Delaware-founded chain opened a Cape Coral location on April 28 in the Shops at Del Mar off Pine Island Road. But can we just say that The Bobbie — billed as the original Thanksgiving sandwich — lives up to the hype? The slow-roasted turkey (cooked overnight and hand-pulled in the morning), house-made stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo combination won us over on the first bite. Order it hot or cold, in 4, 8, 10 or 18-inch sizes. And if you’re not feeling Thanksgiving-y, Capriotti’s has plenty of other options, including cheesesteaks, tuna, classic Italian, BLT, meatball, Capastrami, Wagyu beef sandwiches and more. Find it all at 327 SW 10th Place, unit 202, Cape Coral; (239) 471-0469; capriottis.com or follow on Facebook.
Closings
The Fat Apple: The sign is down and the doors of this pizza joint in North Fort Myers are locked. After nine years, this staple in the Publix-anchored Eagle Landing plaza off Bayshore Road has permanently closed. It steadily built a loyal following after Guy Beekman, who owned the legendary Birdie’s Pizza in Fort Myers for 20 years, opened it in July 2017.
Spaghy Gelato: This small Cape Coral shop in Chelsea Place off Del Prado Boulevard has closed. “Cape Coral … thank you,” an April 28 post on its Facebook page read. “Because of your support, your love, your energy … we’re taking the next step. We are officially relocating to the East Coast.” It was known for its viral spaghetti gelato — handcrafted gelato shaped into spaghetti form and topped with a variety of toppings. “Thank you for the memories, the laughs, and for believing in something a little different,” the post concluded.
Wingnuts: After spending the last 15 years at 231 Del Prado Blvd. in Cape Coral, this popular chicken wing restaurant is closing. For now, anyway. “Our time at this location has come to an end,” an April 30 post on the Pub & Grub’s Facebook page read. “Our last day will be May 16th. HOWEVER, we will be moving to a new location soon.” It’s currently in Moderna Plaza, north of Cape Coral Hospital and south of Hancock Bridge Parkway (where the recently closed Misto Bar & Grill was). “Although it will take us time to relocate the restaurant, we will keep you posted, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY,” the post continued. “… We look forward to seeing you in the very near future. Our thanks again for all your support.” Follow along on Facebook for updates.
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
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