YNW Melly will no longer go to trial for witness tampering after prosecutors dropped the charges.
The Florida rapper’s trial was scheduled to start on Wednesday (Jan. 21). However, during a hearing on Tuesday (Jan. 20), prosecutors decided to drop the case.
Melly’s attorneys, Drew Findling and Carol Haughwout, have released the following statement to XXL about the update in the case.
“On behalf of Jamell Demons, we welcome the dismissal of the alleged tampering and gang-related charges in court this morning,” the statement reads. “As his newly retained legal team, it became immediately apparent to us that no crimes had occurred. Unfortunately, for 652 days while these charges were pending, the State did not reach the same conclusion until the cusp of trial.”
The statement continues: “We now look forward to seeking Mr. Demons’ release from custody, where he has been held under extraordinarily restrictive conditions for far too long based on premises the State has now abandoned. His release will allow him to fully and meaningfully participate in preparing his defense in the forthcoming proceedings, which we intend to litigate vigorously.”
Melly has been behind bars since 2019, when he was charged with double-murder in connection with the killings of his childhood friends Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams in October of 2018. His first trial ended in a mistrial in 2023. However, prosecutors decided to retry the case.
In October of 2023, Melly was charged with witness tampering and accused of convincing his ex-girlfriend, Mariah Hamilton, and her mother, Felicia Holmes, not to testify in the first trial.
Melly’s double-murder retrial is scheduled for January of 2027.
Watch NBC 6’s Coverage of the YNW Melly Trial
