YNW Melly is still alive. The American rapper and singer is in custody and awaiting retrial and conviction for the murder of two YNW associates, rappers Anthony Williams (aka YNW Sakchaser) and Thomas Jr. Drag (aka YNW Juvy), whom he allegedly shot dead in October 2018 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
On the 13th of February 2019, YNW Melly (Real name: Jamell Maurice Demons) was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the death of his aforementioned YNW associates, who are described as his close friends. Amid the wait for his conviction, two rumors cropped up from social media; first, that he has been released and second, that he is has died. This got his fans scared and curious to know the true situation of things. Find out the answers here.
YNW Melly is Still Alive
Yes, YNW Melly is still very much alive. He remains in the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and it appears it might take a while for the court to decide whether he will be convicted or not.
The rapper was arrested in 2019 and charged with first-degree murder for the killings of fellow rappers Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas, which happened in October 2018. On the 30th of November 2021, YNW Melly’s double murder trial was slated to hold on March 7, 2022, but it was delayed and rescheduled for May 23, 2022. Following another delay, it was set for June 6, 2022, however, it did not begin until June 12, 2023.
When the trial eventually started, Broward Circuit Judge, John Murphy, declared that Demon would face capital punishment (death sentence) if he was found guilty. Based on the announcement, netizens who misunderstood the statement took to the internet to spread misinformation about the artist being released and dead.
However, the fact is that YNW Melly’s case is yet to be concluded. In the course of the trial, Demon pleaded not guilty. On Friday, July 21, 2023, the jury told the judge that they were not able to reach unanimous verdict, but, the judge ordered them to carry on with the deliberations. However, after one more day passed without a verdict, the judge ultimately declared a mistrial.
The entire process lasted almost twenty days and was concluded on Saturday, July 22, 2023, in Broward County, Florida, with closing arguments. Afterward, jurors went into deliberations. Reports emerged on July 25, 2023, that YNW Melly is headed back to court for a retrial, and prosecutors are expected to retry the case with a new jury. Until then, he’ll remain in custody.
How Did YNW Melly Get Involved in the Murder Case
Two of YNW Melly’s friends, rappers Anthony Williams (aka YNW Sakchaser, 21) and Christopher Thomas Jr. Drag (aka YNW Juvy, 19), were shot dead in the early morning hours of Oct. 26, 2018. The young men, including Cortlen Malik Henry (a fellow YNW rapper known as YNW Bortlen), were riding in a Jeep driven by Henry after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale, Florida when the incident occurred.
Upon investigation, authorities claimed that YNW Melly conspired with Henry to stage the double murder and make it look like the deceased were fatally injured in a drive-by shooting. However, prosecutors determined that Melly was the one that shot Williams and Thomas. According to them, both video and forensic evidence point to Melly as the killer. He was seen in the surveillance footage taking the seat inside the car, from which experts concluded the gunshots were fired.
They also alleged that Melly and Henry drove Williams and Thomas’ bodies to an area near the Everglades, where they fired shots at the passenger side and the back of Henry’s Jeep from the outside to create an impression that the victims were killed by a drive-by shooter. However, ballistics tests, according to the prosecutors, show that the bullets that killed the duo were fired from inside the Jeep.
On his own part, Melly claimed that Anthony and Thomas passed on due to a drive-by, although it could be seen in the prosecution evidence that the shots that ended their lives had come from inside the car.
Melly and Henry were accused of parking their car, exiting it, and then staging the killings by shooting back into the vehicle, after which Henry drove the victims to Memorial Hospital in Miramar, where they were pronounced dead.
Melly was charged with two counts of premeditated murder on February 12, 2019, and on the following day, he turned himself in.
