Rapper YNW Melly’s rise and fall from grace has kept fans hooked from start to finish. His legal troubles have followed him almost his entire career but finally culminated in a chaotic ending, landing him in prison accused of the murder of two of his best friends.
Now it seems like the story isn’t quite over yet as YNW Melly heads back into court to try to obtain a bond release date before a whole new trial. From being famous as a Kanye West collaborator to being infamous for the alleged murder of two friends, this rapper continues to make headlines. Here’s everything we know so far about YNW Melly’s possible release date.
Who Is YNW Melly?
YNW Melly is a 24-year-old Florida rapper known best for his collaborations with Kanye West. The two were reportedly so close that Kanye was planning to name one of the sneakers in his former Adidas shoe line after him. Yet before all the fame and fortune, YNW Melly had a rough start to life.
He was born “Jamelle Maurice Demons” in 1999 in Gifford, Florida to a mother who was only 14 years old. She recalls in a YNW Melly documentary that she was only in 9th grade when he was born. His early life and upbringing were riddled with violence and upheaval and by the age of 16 he was in jail.
YNW Melly’s music career began in jail
He began his music career while in jail at the age of 16. He found himself there following a conviction of three counts of aggravated assault and one count of discharging a firearm in public when he reportedly fired a weapon at two classmates near their school. While doing his time, he reports that one morning he simply woke up with the “Murder On My Mind” chorus in his head.
The start of his career now seems like an obvious precursor for the fated end of his career. It began in jail and ended in jail. The song “Murder On My Mind” seemed to be potentially more accurate than his fans could have predicted and is now even a subject of discussion for the trial according to the Miami New Times.
His career trajectory continued to go up and up following his initial release. He adopted the rap name “YNW Melly” as part of the “YNW” crew which publicly stands for “Young New Wave” and included three of his longtime friends and fellow rappers. Before long famous rapper Kanye West (now facing his own legal troubles) heard his music and decided to fly Melly out to LA to potentially collaborate. The rest, as they say, is history. Yet only one month after the then 19-year-old released his mixed tape We All Shine featuring Kanye West, he was arrested for murder.
YNW Melly’s first court hearing
In October of 2016 two members of the YNW crew, Christopher Thomas Jr. aka YNW Juvy, and Anthony Williams aka YNW Sakchaser were shot and killed in what was then alleged as a drive-by shooting.
In February 2019, YNW Melly was arrested for the murder of his two friends. The prosecution alleges that Melly along with another member of the YNW crew, YNW Bortlen, staged the entire thing to look like a drive-by when in fact Melly shot his friends from inside the car. Melly pled not guilty but the prosecution initially intended to seek the death penalty. Yet by 2022 the death penalty was off the table and Melly proceeded to trial.
The trial began in June of 2023 and finally culminated in a mistrial declared in July of 2023 when the jury remained hopelessly deadlocked and could not reach a verdict. A new trial was set for October 2023.
YNW Melly’s release date
Following YNW Melly’s mistrial, he returned to court this September in what is called an Arthur Hearing, or hearing with no jury in an attempt to be released on bond. If granted, that would have allowed him to await his new trial at home instead of jail. According to NBC Miami, one of the murdered boys’ mother, Christopher Thomas’ mother, appealed to the courts to not allow the 24-year-old to be released, citing fear of her own and her family’s safety.
Technically two counts of first-degree murder are not considered “bondable offenses” in the state of Florida, but reportedly the judge is allowed discretion in the matter. The judge denied the request and YNW Melly remained in jail.
YNW Melly’s new trial begins
His second trial began in October of 2023 with jury selection continuing through November. While actual proceedings and opening statements were scheduled to begin in January, they have been reset to begin in February. The lead prosecutor on the case Kristine Bradley, was removed at Melly’s legal team’s request, which the judge granted “in an abundance of caution.”
The young rapper is potentially facing the death penalty if convicted, so the stakes and tension are high. Either way, there’s no firm release date and if convicted he may never be released.
YNW Melly has spent more of his young life in legal trouble than out of it. Fans are on the edge of their seats to see if he will be given a second chance or if this is the end of the promising young rapper. However, it seems whatever the outcome of the trial, YNW Melly will be sorting through his legal troubles for a long time to come.
Published: Sep 19, 2023 02:30 pm