Where Is YNW Melly Now? Rapper Finally Has New Trial Date
While waiting for his murder retrial, the rapper has been moved to a different prison.
Published July 13 2024, 3:00 a.m. ET
It’s been years since rapper YNW Melly (real name: Jamell Maurice Demons) was placed behind bars for allegedly killing two of his childhood friends, Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas and Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams.
The “Murder on My Mind” rapper allegedly shot the victims while his co-defendant, YNW Bortlen, drove the victims to the hospital to pretend that they were drive-by shooting victims.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting, which took place on Oct. 28, 2018. A lot has changed with the rapper’s case since then, including a mistrial, jail change, and alleged witness tampering.
Read on to learn where YNW is now.
Where is YNW Melly now?
The rapper has been moved from Broward County Jail to Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano Beach. This past Monday, Judge Martin Fein set the new trial date for Sept. 10, 2025. He also set Dec. 5, 2024, as a pretrial meeting for the tampering case.
After the news of the trial date was released, Melly’s mother posted a reaction video.
If Melly is found guilty, he may face the death penalty.
Who is YNW Melly?
YNW Melly first rose to stardom when he began releasing his songs on SoundCloud. His lyrics often delved into street violence and growing up in poverty. Kanye West is featured on his track, “Mixed Personalities.”
Most of his teen years were spent incarcerated for various crimes, such as aggravated assault, violating probation, and a drive-by shooting near a high school.
After the murders of Thomas and Williams, YNW Melly has spent the majority of his time incarcerated at Broward County Jail in Florida.
He was there when he awaited his second trial. The first was declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to come to a unanimous decision.
During this time, YNW Melly was accused of a second crime: witness tampering. He and his co-defendant, YNW Bortlen, reportedly used the code word “Rihanna” when discussing the witness they were trying to stop from testifying. This witness is Melly’s ex-girlfriend, Mariah Hamilton.
"Tell her keep vibin in the Maybach like she been doing," read an alleged text from Terrence Mathis, a inmate that was allegedly texting Bortlen on Melly’s behalf. Hamilton did not testify in court.
YNW Melly’s new trial was supposed to start on Oct. 9, 2023. However, as of January 2024, it was put on hold. This was due to YNW Melly’s defense team seeking to remove a documentary video from the evidence. In the video, which was filmed just before the murders, Melly is often shown holding a weapon.
He also talks about the deaths of Thomas and Williams.
Prosecutors believe that the video helps prove that YNW Melly was at the scene of the crime. As a result, they filed an appeal against the ruling to suppress the video from evidence.
