A Broward County judge has decided to drop the death penalty from the list of capital punishments in rapper YNW Melly’s double homicide trial.
YNW Melly is reportedly no longer facing the death penalty. pic.twitter.com/4MWnWvHlo1
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) July 6, 2022
The decision was made yesterday during a preliminary hearing and confirmed by XXL with YNW Melly’s lawyer.
YNW Melly’s mother, Jamie King, took to Instagram yesterday to share her reaction to the ruling.
“Death penalty has officially been removed from the @ynwmelly case,” she wrote. “Thank you Jesus #FreeMelly2022.”
“I’m literally crying real tears, you coming home son @ynwmelly,” she captioned the post.
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YNW Melly’s management team also took to the rapper’s official Instagram account to share the news with fans.
“Today Melly wins motion to remove death penalty against prosecution — management,” the post read.
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As Blavity previously reported, the rapper, born Jamell Demons, is accused of killing his two friends and fellow collaborators, YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser, in October 2018.
(2/2) Demons shot and killed Williams & Thomas Jr. and that Demons and Henry staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting. pic.twitter.com/EukFxD4OEq
— Miramar Police (@MiramarPD) February 14, 2019
The rapper alleged that the victims were shot in a drive-by. But investigations conducted by police led them to believe that YNW Melly committed first-degree murder and conspired with an affiliate, Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry, to create the false drive-by story.
According to XXL, Henry was released on bond in the spring of 2020 and arrested again in April of 2021 for a probation violation.
According to HipHopDX, YNW Melly was arrested in February 2019 and pleaded guilty in March 2019.
Jury selection for the rapper’s trial was intended to begin on April 4, but it was again delayed to determine what evidence should be admissible in court.
The rapper’s trial still hasn’t received a start date.
