In court yesterday, a judge granted YNW Melly's request to restart the jury selection process for his double murder retrial. The move was made because the rapper's defense team made an error when stating the law to the jurors, according to Law & Crime’s Cathy Russon. They told them that the prosecution had to prove Melly was guilty of everything he's accused of, including his alleged gang affiliation, beyond reasonable doubt. Prosecutors noted the error, pointing out that he can still be found guilty of murder if they're unable to prove his alleged gang affiliation.
Prosecutors then pushed for the rules to be restated to the jury, ensuring they had a clear grasp of them. Melly's team, on the other hand, wanted to strike the entire panel of jurors. According to them, they'd lose "all credibility with the jurors should the court read that instruction.” The prosecution wasn't happy with the judge's decision, filing a motion in response.
YNW Melly's Retrial Could Be Delayed
“While the state understands the court acting in an abundance of caution, objections being sustained and jury instructions being read by the court to rectify the misstatement of law should not rise to the level of starting over,” it reads. “All of this time being spent on jurors that have now been struck could have gone to time both sides clearly need to further prepare for the trial. The state does not want this to become a pattern," they added. "Where with each objection made, another group of jurors is struck.”
It's unclear how long jury selection could take this time around. The news comes after prosecutors filed a motion earlier this week, pushing for the trial to be delayed. "It is abundantly evident that the defendant is not ready for trial,” they stated. What do you think of the jury selection process for YNW Melly's double murder retrial starting all over again? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
