The trial of rapper YNW Melly (Jamell Demons) for the 2018 murders of his two childhood friends entered its second week, with the judge dismissing the defense's request for a mistrial. The motion was filed last week, citing potentially prejudicial testimony from the mother of Demons' ex-girlfriend, according to the Sun Sentinel. Judge John Murphy rejected the motion, indicating that the jury could be instructed to disregard the inadmissible statements.
Demons is accused of fatally shooting Anthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy), both members of the YNW collective, in October 2018. He faces a potential death sentence if convicted.
Prosecutors allege that Demons and Cortland Henry (YNW Bortlen) were with Williams and Thomas in a Jeep after a Fort Lauderdale recording session. Demons, 26, is accused of shooting the victims. Henry, who was driving the Jeep, faces charges as an accomplice and will be tried separately. Following the shooting, prosecutors claim Demons and Henry drove the bodies to an area near the Everglades and staged a drive-by shooting scene by firing shots at the vehicle from the outside.
The prosecution argues the shooting was gang-related, a claim the defense disputes, emphasizing the close friendship between Demons and the victims. The murder weapon remains unrecovered. The initial week of the trial centered on physical evidence, with the prosecution presenting evidence linking bullet casings found in Demons and Henry's vehicle to those at the staged crime scene.
Demons gained prominence with his 2017 song "Murder on My Mind" and collaborated with Kanye West on "Mixed Personalities" in January 2019, just a month before his arrest on the murder charges.
