Who is YNW Melly? Update on the rapper's retrial in Florida in the death penalty case

A date has been set for the retrial in the double murder case against YNW Melly – but the rapper will have to wait more than a year behind bars.

According to court records, Melly, whose real name is Jamell Maurice Demons, is scheduled to return to court on September 25, 2025. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for December 5, 2024.

Melly's attorney David Howard declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.

The rapper's first double murder trial ended in a miscarriage of justice after a jury in Miami could not unanimously decide on his guilt or innocence.

“These kinds of decisions are tough decisions,” Judge John Murphy told the jury, who could not reach a consensus. “We really appreciate you giving us the time, because we have been here a long time. We understand that. You gave us the time and did your best to [bring about resolution]but unfortunately that couldn’t happen.”

Who is YNW Melly?

YNW Melly, 25, is a rapper and songwriter from Gifford, Florida, known for his breakthrough hit Murder in my thoughts And Mixed personalities with Kanye West.

His legal troubles first made 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 shooting two of his friends, Anthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy), in Miramar, Florida.

Prosecutors allege that YNW Melly, along with fellow rapper YNW Bortlen (Cortlen Henry), staged the murders to make it look like a drive-by shooting. Melly was arrested in February 2019 and has been in jail since then.

A video of Melly himself surrendering to Miramar police while crammed into a suitcase was shown to the court, but not to the jury.

“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 motherfuckers want to arrest 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 premeditated murder. The prosecution is demanding the death penalty for Melly.

Prosecutors claim that forensic evidence, including phone records and ballistics reports, prove Melly's involvement in the murders. They allege that Melly shot both victims from the car and then worked with YNW Bortlen to stage the crime scene.

The exact motive for the alleged murders remains unclear, but there are several 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 cover-up attempts, and the brutality of the incident.

The trial has been delayed several times, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and legal maneuvers by the defense.

In connection with his time in prison, Melly also has to deal with legal problems. Among other things, he is accused of conspiring to escape from prison, which turned out not to be true.

Melly is being held in the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale. In September, a judge denied his lawyers' request for bail while he awaits retrial.

Bortlen was released on bail in August 2021, but was reportedly arrested on witness tampering charges in October 2023 following a raid on his home by Miami police. His trial was originally scheduled to begin that same month, but was postponed.

Bortlen has been held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Florida since October.

Multiple personality disorder

In 2022, Melly's lawyers filed a motion to declare him unfit to stand trial, although prosecutors contested the motion.

Melly told Complex in 2019 that he suffers from multiple personality disorder, a dissociative disorder in which a person has two or more different identities. Melly claimed to have six personalities, but has only revealed Melly and Melvin.

“Melvin is not an alter ego, it's a person,” he told the outlet. “I have mixed personalities. It's a different person.”

“Melly is a joker. He's just the one that everyone loves, and he loves everyone,” he continued. “Melvin is the one who protects 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 pop culture. Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He died of his injuries six days later, on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25.

Last October, a suspect was finally charged in Shakur's murder. Prosecutors allege that Duane “Keefe D” Davis was the gang leader who orchestrated the murder and that he was the only living person who was allegedly in the car from which the shots were fired.

Meanwhile, Patrick Clark, the man alleged to have shot and killed Migos rapper Takeoff in 2022, has had a court date set for January 23, 2024.

Young Thug is accused of violating the State of Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets people who commit crimes as part of a criminal organization in 2022. Williams and other defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit organized crime and participating in criminal street gang activity, as well as drug and weapons offenses. His trial is ongoing.

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