After 19 days of hearing arguments, Judge John Murphy declared a mistrial.
Rapper YNW Melly’s double murder trial has been declared a mistrial after a Broward County jury in South Florida failed to reach a unanimous decision.
After 19 days of hearing arguments, Judge John Murphy declared a mistrial. YNW Melly, real name Jamell Demons, faced two first-degree murder charges in the Oct. 26, 2018 killings of 21-year-old Anthony Williams and 19-year-old Christopher Thomas in Miramar, Florida.
Closing arguments were delivered on Thursday. The jury deliberated for two full days, during which it asked to review some of the evidence. But it was still unable to reach a decision.
Demons, now 24, pleaded not guilty and faced a possible death sentence if convicted.
The case centered on a post-recording session incident. Demons, Williams, and Thomas were riding in a Jeep driven by Cortland Henry, known as YNW Bortlen, after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale. That’s when prosecutors claimed Demons fatally shot Williams and Thomas. Henry was charged as an accomplice but will be tried separately.
Authorities said Demons and Henry staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting as part of a gang action. Defense attorneys said that claim doesn’t stand up because Demons was close friends with the victims.
YNW Melly is best known for his songs “Murder on My Mind,” “Mixed Personalities” (featuring Kanye West), “Suicidal” (featuring Juice Wrld), and “223’s (featuring 9lokkNine.)
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