The jury in the double murder trial of YNW Melly has been dismissed for one week. Legal experts believe that the trial is expected to last another month. However, it's unclear why the jury has been dismissed. However, courthouse reporters have theorized that the sheer amount of evidence being presented has overwhelmed the jury.
It comes during a chaotic week for the trial, which has been rife with drama for its entirety. On July 5, Melly's lawyers appeared to implicate YNW Bortlen for the murders that Melly is accused of. Bortlen is set to stand trial separately starting in October. However, Bortlen, unlike Melly, is not facing the death penalty. Bortlen was believed to be the driver of the vehicle Juvie and Sakchaster were killed in.
Things Continue To Look Bad For Melly
“Henry shows up at Memorial Hospital Miramar,” said attorney David Howard in his opening statement. “You don’t see him sitting there, but where you will see him is on the driver’s seat. When [Henry] shows up, he shows up with a change of clothing, change of shirt, powder residue on his hands, evidence in that he has discharged a firearm, and he lies. He lies about where the incident occurred. He lies about how it occurred. And he lies about not having a phone.” This was a dramatic pivot for Melly's team, who appear to have adopted a strategy of blaming Bortlen for the murders instead of Melly.
However, this appears to be a desperate ploy in a case that is seemingly heading toward a guilty verdict for Melly. At the end of June, a police detective presented extensive evidence that completely refuted a core pillar of Melly and Bortlen's defense. The evidence presented showed that Juvie and Sakchaser had not died in a drive-by shooting. Instead, it is now believed that Melly and Bortlen killed Juvie and Sakchaser while the pair were still inside the car. While the detail is seemingly minor, it completely undermines the case that Melly's team was presenting.
[via]