The re-trial of YNW Melly has been delayed for a third time after the defense filed another motion to dismiss. Jury selection is now scheduled for March, which was the original start date of the second delay. There is no anticipated timeframe for the trial's new start date. This comes after Melly's team requested a continuance in December 2023 and waived the rapper's right to a speedy trial. That move, presumably made to give the defense more time to prepare its case, means that there is no end in sight for Melly.
However, the stakes could also not be higher for the Florida rapper. Legal maneuvers made after his first trial ended in a mistrial mean that the threshold for a death penalty, if found guilty, has been lowered. While Melly still needs to be found guilty, the jury would only need eight votes to sentence him to death. Melly is charged with double-homicide, as well as a litany of conspiracy and witness tampering charges.
YNW Melly Tries To Block Use Of Song Lyrics
Meanwhile, Melly's attorney is also attempting to block the prosecution from using the rapper's lyrics as evidence. “To receive something this late in the game is just part and parcel of what they’ve been doing the entire time,” Raven Liberty said. Additionally, Liberty also noted that the prosecution had agreed as far back as 2020 that they would not use song lyrics as evidence. The admissibility of the lyrics is yet to be ruled on, especially given the latest delay in the start of the trial.
The use of song lyrics as evidence is a controversial practice. There is a Supreme Court-mandated ban on it in New Jersey and heavy restrictions on the practice in California. However, it is still allowed in the state of Florida. Additionally, it was a major point of contention in 2023. Over in Georgia, Fulton County DA Fani Willis came out as a vocal advocate of the practice. This was especially notable during her prosecuting of the YSL RICO trial involving Young Thug.
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