FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty against a South Florida rapper accused of killing of two close friends in Broward County last year, according to recently released court documents.
Police said 19-year-old Jamell Demons, whose stage name is YNW Melly, shot and killed Anthony "YNW Sackchaser" Williams, 21, and Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr., 19, in October 2018. Both men were also rappers.
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Police also said Demons, of Vero Beach, and another man, Cortlen Henry, staged the scene to make it appear that the attack was a drive-by shooting.
Demons' biggest hit on YouTube is the song "Murder on My Mind."
Police have not disclosed where the men were killed, but they were last seen in Fort Lauderdale.
Henry drove Williams and Thomas to Memorial Hospital Miramar around 4 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2018.
Henry told police they had been involved in a drive-by shooting. Williams and Thomas later died at the hospital.
After the killings, Demons mourned the victims on social media. Demons' lawyer said Williams and Thomas were Demons' best friends.
In the filing, prosecutors said they were seeking the death penalty because the crime was "committed in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification." Prosecutors said Demons was motivated in part by financial gain.
They also described the killings as "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel." The document also describes Demons as a gang member.
Demons has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. He is currently being held without bond at Broward County's Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale.