YNW Melly‘s double murder retrial isn’t taking place until March 2024.
According to court documents obtained by HipHopDX, Judge John Murphy granted the “Murder on My Mind” rapper’s request for a continuance on December 20. In that continuance, the team waived YNW Melly’s right to a speedy trial — which means that they aren’t required to get started in the 180-day statutory requirement in the state of Florida.
The case will now not go before a jury until March 5, 2024. It’s anticipated that the defense will conduct their necessary interviews and depositions with various witnesses during this delay.
Check out the docket below.
YNW Melly double murder retrial pushed back one more time https://t.co/3Yh0bOWXIApic.twitter.com/xlNg0kss8O
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) December 30, 2023
Earlier this month, prosecutors entered more than 55 songs into evidence, with the intent to use the lyrics to such songs as “Murder on My Mind” against the rapper when the jury trial finally commences.
Melly’s attorney Raven Liberty has attempted to block the rapper’s lyrics being used as evidence in his retrial.
“To receive something this late in the game is just part and parcel of what they’ve been doing the entire time,” Liberty said, adding that the state attorney’s office had assured Demons’ defense team three years ago that lyrics would not be used against him.
In October, Melly, his co-defendant YNW Bortlen, and a third person, Terrence Mathis, were charged with directing the activities of a criminal gang and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, as well as solicitation and conspiracy to commit tampering.
These are in addition to the original count of tampering with a witness in a capital felony that Melly (real name Jamell Demons) and Bortlen (real name Cortlen Henry) were charged with last month.
Melly sent a message to his fans on Instagram back in November.
The Florida rapper shared a photo of himself from one of his court dates as he let fans know how much he appreciates them.
“I want all my fans to know I love y’all the same way y’all love me,” he wrote with a heart emoji and a crossed fingers emoji.
YNW Melly is accused of conspiring with YNW Bortlen in October 2018 to kill their two friends, YNW Juvy (Christopher Thomas Jr.) and YNW Sakchaser (Anthony Williams), and stage their deaths as a drive-by shooting.
If YNW Melly is convicted, he could face the death penalty.
