Fort Lauderdale, FL – A mistrial was declared in the double murder case against rapper YNW Melly on Saturday (July 22) after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision after three days of deliberation.
“At this time, I am going to declare a mistrial,” Judge Murphy said in the clip below. “We want to reiterate how much we appreciate the fact that you were here and you willingly served. Our system doesn’t work without getting people from the community to come here and listen to the facts of the case and make decisions. These types of decisions, they’re hard decisions…you did your best effort to bring the case to a resolution. Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to happen.”
Jamell Demons, who goes by the stage name YNW Melly, was facing two first-degree murder charges in the October 26, 2018 killings of 19-year-old Christopher “Juvy” Thomas Jr. and 21-year-old Anthony “Sakchaser” Williams in Miramar, Florida. Prosecutors alleged that Melly and his co-defendant Cortlen, “YNW Bortlen” Henry fatally shot their two friends in the back of a Jeep Compass and staged the scene to look like a drive-by.
During her closing arguments, lead prosecutor Kristin Bradley recounted the fatal shooting, and used forensic evidence to argue Melly was the shooter.
“Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, I can get up here before you and say the defendant is guilty of murder in the first degree…I now have the opportunity to explain all of the evidence.”
Sgt. Chris Williams’ crime reconstruction revealed that the shots were fired inside the grey JEEP SUV, with evidence of blood stains on the seats and inside the car door where Melly was allegedly sitting.
Forensic analysis showed that Juvy, seated in the front passenger seat, was shot from a side angle from behind. A blood-stained t-shirt worn by Melly’s co-accused, Cortlen ‘Bortlen’ Henry, had DNA evidence linking it to one of the victims, Juvy, disproving the defense’s claim that Bortlen was the shooter.
The prosecution also debunked the theory of a drive-by shooting based on evidence of bullet trajectories and injuries, proving that the car was stationary when the shots were fired. Phone tracking data and surveillance video were presented to support the argument that Melly’s cell phone was present at the crime scene during the murders.
However, the defense argued that Melly was innocent and that the evidence against him was circumstantial. They also pointed to the fact that Melly had no motive to kill his friends.
After the mistrial was declared, Melly’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, said that he was “disappointed” with the outcome, but that he was “confident” that Melly would be acquitted at a retrial.
“We are disappointed with the outcome, but we respect the jury’s decision,” Cohen said. “We are confident that YNW Melly will be acquitted at a retrial.”
Melly’s manager, 100k Track says he’s happy with the verdict and believes Melly will be coming home soon.
“I’m happy with it,” he tells Law & Crime. “It’s not the verdict we would want of course, but it’s a second chance, and I take that literal for everything. It’s a second chance at life, a second chance at a better defense, so I’m excited. I really feel like Melly’s coming home. I’ve felt like that, but this just confirmed it.”
“They took his phone privileges a long time ago before we even got to this case, but I’m pretty sure he’s patient. He’s getting into his music and writing more ’cause he knows he’s coming home. If it’s not today or tomorrow, it’s definitely going to be soon, real soon.”
The mistrial is a setback for the prosecution, but it is not a final victory for Melly. He will still have to face a retrial, and the outcome of that trial is still uncertain.
The case has drawn national attention, as Melly is a rising star in the rap industry. He has had several hit songs, including “Murder on My Mind” and “Melly vs. Melvin.”
