YNW Melly’s double-murder retrial delayed until 2027

YNW Melly's impending double murder trial has been hit with yet another delay as it has now been pushed to January 2027.

Broward State Attorney’s Office confirmed the news to The Rolling Stone. The rapper, born Jamell Demons, has been imprisoned since 2019, NBC 6 has reported, which is when he was cuffed and charged with allegedly gunning down two of his friends, YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser, in 2018.

Hot New Hip Hop has reported that his trial kicked off in June 2023 and spanned a few weeks. However, it concluded with a mistrial as the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision following two days of deliberations.

Since then, his trial has been rescheduled several times, and just last month, it was announced that it would resume in September 2025, though this has since changed. XXL Magazine has reported in the time since, Melly and his codefendant, Cortlen Henry, have both been hit with additional charges relating to witness tampering.

Everything we know about the case against YNW Melly:

The Rolling Stone has reported that Judge Martin S. Fein was the one to issue the postponement, and Billboard and NBC Miami have both reported that it happened due to delays on both the prosecution's and defense's part on what evidence will be submitted in the trial. Both parties reportedly requested the delay.

Per the outlet, YNW Melly had pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder over the slayings of Anthony YNW "Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas, both of whom were his childhood friends and rappers as well. Should he be convicted, he might be sentenced to the death penalty.

As reported by The Rolling Stone, in the initial trial, prosecutors alleged that YNW Melly and Henry conspired to gun down the two men. The former opened fire in a jeep, which was being driven by Henry. The car was later taken to the vicinity near Everglades, which is where Demons and Henry allegedly opened fire on the vehicle to stage a drive-by shooting.

YNW Melly has rallied for a bond since he was first arrested eight years ago, and just last November, he sued the Broward County Sheriff's Office. At the time, he alleged that his Constitutional Rights were being violated.

The latest development comes on the heels of a pre-trial the rapper attended just last month. At the time, per Hot New Hip Hop, Judge Martin S. Fein ordered the court to hand in all the documents pertaining to YNW Melly's defense attorney, Raven Liberty, as she was suspected of tampering with the witnesses in an 18-month-long investigation. However, she has yet to be formally charged.

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.

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