YNW Melly's retrial has been on hold for around seven months now, leaving the 25-year-old rapper behind bars, waiting to learn his fate. He's been in custody since February of 2019 when he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He's accused of killing two of his associates, YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser, and staging a drive-by shooting. If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty. Melly was first tried last summer, but after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision, a Broward County judge declared a mistrial.
His retrial was then scheduled for October of 2023, but the case has only become more complicated since, resulting in numerous delays. When October came around, Melly and his co-defendant YNW Bortlen were charged with witness tampering, and the retrial was pushed back. Authorities accused them of working together to prevent Melly's ex-girlfriend Mariah Hamilton from taking the stand in the first trial. In December, the retrial was delayed once again when Melly's team asked for an extension to depose more than a dozen new witnesses.
YNW Melly's Case Delayed Over New Charges, Witness Depositions, And More
Later that month, prosecutors appealed Judge John Murphy III's ruling to toss out multiple pieces of evidence. These included the rapper's phone records, emails, and social media posts. They insist that the evidence is crucial in proving Melly's alleged guilt. Prosecutors are also fighting to use a 20-minute documentary about Melly's rise to fame as evidence. Allegedly, he's seen holding a weapon multiple times in the doc, which briefly mentions Juvy and Sakchaser's deaths towards the end.
The appeal could take months to go through the appellate courts, making further delays likely. In April, Melly was relocated to a new facility for the first time since 2019 in preparation for his retrial. He was moved from the Broward County Jail to the Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano Beach, FL. What do you think of YNW Melly's retrial seeing multiple delays? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.