Rapper YNW Melly’s double murder trial has been voided as Florida jury deadlocked
- The musician was on trial in Broward County, Fla., in connection with the double murder of two friends
- Prosecutors said YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, conspired to make the killings look like a drive-by shooting
- Officials said they plan to retry the case
The double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly ended with a deadlocked jury when a Florida judge declared the case involving the shooting of two of the musician’s friends a mistrial.
YNW Melly – whose real name is Jamell Demons – has been sitting in a Florida courtroom for the past three weeks and has been charged with murder in the 2018 murders of Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas.
The two men, who were also rappers, were shot dead in October 2018 in Miramar, Florida.
On Saturday, Broward County Circuit Judge John Murphy voided the case after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the case.
Prosecutors are expected to retry the case with a new jury.
Rapper YNW Melly’s trial ended with a deadlocked jury
YNW Melly faced the death penalty in this case.
A three-week trial ended Thursday and jury deliberations began. The board told Murphy on Friday that no decision could be made. However, they were told they needed to keep talking.
On Saturday, when still no verdict could be reached, the judge declared the procedure invalid.
Cortlen Henry is a co-defendant in the case and will be tried separately.
Investigators said in 2018 Williams and Thomas, who were both rappers, were shot dead.
Police say YNW Melly and Henry conspired to make it appear they were killed in a drive-by shooting following a recording session, according to Rolling Stone.
After the two musicians were shot, their bodies were taken to the Everglades, where prosecutors say YNW Melly and Henry shot their jeep to make it look like a jeep driving by.
Prosecutors said the killing was part of a “gang operation.” But defense attorneys dismissed that argument, saying the two victims were friends of YNW Melly.