Witnesses Called During First Day Of YNW Melly Double Homicide Trial
On Monday (June 12), YNW Melly appeared in a Florida court for the first day of his trial in the double murder of two friends.
The rapper, along with his co-defendant YNW Bortlen, were arrested in 2018 and subsequently pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. Prosecutors in the case claim Melly shot and killed 20-year-old Chris “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. and 21-year-old Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams in South Florida.
Monday’s proceedings saw the state call up witnesses, including police and hospital workers, to establish a timeline for the night of the shootings. They also presented their case to the jury.
YNW Melly’s Mom Demands Investigation Into Alleged Abuse Of Rapper In Jail
In July, 2022, a Florida judge removed the death penalty option as a possible sentence for YNW Melly, who remains behind bars on double homicide charges. XXL Magazine (via Complex) reports that the 23-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Jamell Maurice Demons, received the news on July 6 during a preliminary hearing in Broward County.
Melly and YNW Bortlen were arrested and each charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Authorities say the two men fatally shot their friends, 20-year-old Chris “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. and 21-year-old Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, in October 2018.
Melly and Bortlen are accused of killing the victims and then attempting to stage the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting. The former pled not guilty to the first-degree murder charges in March 2019 and then would go on to address his arrest in a since-deleted Instagram post that same year.
