The state has decided to drop the witness tampering charges against Rapper YNW Melly, at Tuesday’s status hearing.
Prosecutors on Tuesday morning dropped witness-tampering charges against YNW Melly just as the rapper’s trial was to begin. Melly, 26, whose real name is Jamell Demons, was accused of colluding with co-defendant Cortlen Henry and fellow inmate Terrence Mathis to keep his ex-girlfriend from testifying in his double murder case. It is unclear why the charges were dropped. The tampering trial was set to begin with jury selection on Wednesday. Melly is charged with murdering his childhood friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in a drive-by shooting in October 2018. Williams and Thomas, both aspiring rappers with the YNW collective, were known as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy. The “Murder on My Mind” rapper, who is being held in the Broward jail, will still face trial for the double murder. If convicted, he could be sentenced to the death penalty. Melly’s original murder trial in 2023 ended with a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked.
A sophisticated scheme?
Melly, Henry and Mathis, an inmate at the Broward jail who was being held on a murder charge, had “developed a sophisticated system to communicate with individuals outside the Broward County jail” using code words and false names, according to prosecutors. Mathis made more than 60 calls to Henry, who was out on bond, prosecutors say. On several occasions, he told Henry to call “Rihanna” and “A$AP Rocky’s baby mama” to make sure she’s still in the “Maybach.” Rihanna, a well-known singer-songwriter, shares two children with rapper A$AP Rocky.
Jamell Demons, better known as rapper YNW Melly, reacts after the judge declared a mistrial after the jury was deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, July 22, 2023. Demons, 24, is accused of killing two fellow rappers and conspiring to make it look like a drive-by shooting in October 2018. Mike Stocker South Florida Sun Sentinel Prosecutors decoded the message to mean that Henry should keep Melly’s ex Mariah Hamilton away from testifying, according to court records. “The defendant went to great lengths to have others contact Mariah Hamilton for him,” a court filing said. “Because he was in jail and had his phone privileges taken away previously by [the Broward Sheriff’s Office] for numerous violations, he utilized fellow gang members to do his dirty work.” Jamell Demons, better known as rapper YNW Melly appears before Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy for a bond hearing on Friday, September 15, 2023. His previous trial ended in a mistrial after the jury was deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict in July 2023. Demons, 24, is accused of killing two fellow rappers and conspiring to make it look like a drive-by shooting in October 2018. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Mike Stocker South Florida Sun Sentinel
Last September, Henry, Melly’s confidant, reached a plea deal with prosecutors where they dropped the two murder charges against him. Henry, 26, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on accessory after the fact and witness-tampering charges. READ MORE: YNW Melly’s confidant strikes plea deal in double murder case. Will he testify? As part of the plea, Henry will also give a “proffer at a later time.” In a proffer, a defendant provides information to prosecutors in exchange for a plea deal or leniency. Henry was facing several life sentences, if the case had gone to trial. Mathis, too, struck a deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to five years on the witness-tampering charges. Mathis is serving a life sentence in an unrelated murder case. This report will be updated as more information becomes available
