YNW Melly scored a minor victory this past weekend after dodging a guilty verdict on murder charges after a Florida judge declared a mistrial.
However, the rapper will be heading back to court to face charges in the 2018 slayings of Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and 19-year-old Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas after the prosecution announced plans to retry the case.
According to NBC6, on Monday (July 24), the Broward County State Attorney’s office confirmed it will be moving forward with a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury. Per Melly’s mother, nine jurors voted not guilty in favor of the rapper and the defense, while the other three jurors felt that he was guilty of committing the double-murder of his friends.
In this handout photo provided by the Broward’s Sheriff’s Office, rapper YNW Melly, real name Jamell Demons, is seen in a police booking photo after being charged with two counts of murder in the first degree February 13, 2019 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Broward’s Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images
Melly had been charged with two first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Williams and Thomas and was facing a possible death sentence if convicted of the charges. During the trial, the prosecution argued that the murder of Williams was premeditated and that he was sleeping at the time of his death.
“Anthony Williams was shot in the back of the head. That was planned for when he was sleeping so that he couldn’t fight back,” said assistant state prosecutor Kristine Bradley. “That was a premeditated planned killing of Williams, where there would be an alibi already discussed.”
YNW Melly attends Murda Beatz 25th Birthday + GRAMMY Celebration on February 08, 2019 in West Hollywood, California.
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for 2wenty 2wenty Music
The defense claimed that Melly, born Jamell Demons, was nowhere near the crime scene and was at home asleep at the time the murders took place. His attorneys also claimed that the rapper’s co-defendant Corten “YNW Borten” Henry, who is alleged to have driven the dead bodies of Williams and Thomas to a Florida hospital, is responsible for the double-homicide and that their client is innocent. “They want you to believe he is a cold-hearted murderer when quite to the contrary, you saw the tapes, you saw he is a nice young man and a professional,” said Melly’s defense attorney Stuart Adelstein.
Henry’s murder trial begins on Oct. 2, 2023.
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