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.”

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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