YNW Melly Will Not Testify, Defense & Prosecution Rest Their Cases

BYCole Blake8.5K Views
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Murda Beatz 25th Birthday + GRAMMY Celebration
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: YNW Melly attends Murda Beatz 25th Birthday + GRAMMY Celebration on February 08, 2019 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for 2wenty 2wenty Music)
YNW Melly will not take the stand in his ongoing double murder trial.

YNW Melly has decided not to testify in his ongoing double murder trial. Additionally, both the defense and prosecution have rested their cases and closing arguments will be made on Thursday. Miramar Detective Mark Moretti served as the prosecution’s final witness in the trial.

“I will not be testifying," Melly said in court, this week. When Judge Murphy III asked, “Is this your volunteer decision?” Melly confirmed, “Yes sir.” Melly stands accused of killing both YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy. If convicted, he faces life in prison with parole and the possibility of the death penalty. Melly has pleaded not guilty.

YNW Melly's Booking Photo

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL - FEBRUARY 13: In this handout photo provided by the Broward's Sheriff's Office, rapper YNW Melly, real name Jamell Demons, is seen in a police booking photo after being charged with two counts of murder in the first degree February 13, 2019, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Demons allegedly conspired with Cortlen Henry to fatally shot two other Florida based rappers, Christopher Thomas Jr and Anthony Williams, October 26. (Photo by Broward's Sheriff's Office via Getty Images)

On the final day of their case, the state finally brought forth Melly's confessional text message that they had referenced in their opening statements. The prosecution shared with the court a message reading "I did that. Shhh," while referencing the killings. The defense countered by arguing that Melly typically writes "dat" instead of "that" and thus he didn't write the message.

Earlier in the trial, Melly’s attorney, David Howard argued to jurors that there was enough reasonable doubt in the state's case not to convict the young rapper. “What [prosecutors] will bring you is a case that is riddled with reasonable doubt, that is founded on an incompetent and incomplete investigation and exercised poor judgment at every turn,” Howard said. “The state cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt the allegations they have made, and there’s a reason for that.” Be on the lookout for closing arguments from both sides on Thursday.

[Via]

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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