FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Deliberations are underway Friday in the double murder trial of Florida rapper YNW Melly.
Melly, whose real name is Jamel Demons, is accused of murdering two of his friends, Christopher Thomas Jr. and Anthony Williams, back in October 2018 in Broward County.
Williams and Thomas were both part of the YNW collective, known respectively as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy.
According to prosecutors, Demons, Williams and Thomas were riding in a Jeep driven by Cortland Henry, known as YNW Bortlen, after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale when Demons fatally shot Williams and Thomas. Henry is charged as an accomplice in the case and will be tried separately.
After killing Williams and Thomas — prosecutors said — Demons and Henry drove the bodies to an area near the Everglades, where they shot at the back and passenger sides of Henry’s Jeep from the outside to make it look like Williams and Thomas had been the victims of a drive-by shooting.
Defense lawyers, in presenting their closing argument Thursday afternoon, focused on the fact that the gun used in the shooting was never recovered. They also told jurors that Melly had no apparent motive.
Prosecutors said the shooting was part of a gang action, while defense attorneys said that lacks credibility because Demons and the victims were close friends.
“The overall picture puts Mr. Demons in the backseat of that Jeep. It puts him holding a gun. You don’t need a murder weapon to know he committed these two crimes,” prosecutor Kristine Bradley told jurors Thursday.
Melly’s defense team has done their best to poke holes in the state’s case.
“I suggest to you folks that we have a reasonable doubt from the evidence that has been presented that there is a conflict in the evidence, and there is a lack of evidence,” defense attorney Stuart Adelstein said.
But the state feels confident they’ve proven Melly’s guilt.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I would ask that you serve justice, that you deliberate and that you return a verdict of guilty as charged as to murder in the first degree,” Bradley said.
If the jury finds Demons guilty, he could be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Melly had his breakout in 2017 and went on to work with Kanye West on “Mixed Personalities,” which was released in January 2019, a month before Demons was arrested on murder charges.
INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC
TRIAL TIMELINE
The first week of trial: Opening statements were on June 12
The second week of trial: Prosecution’s witnesses continue to testify
The third week of trial: Testimony continues
The court is in recess
The fourth week of the trial: Testimony continues
The fifth week of the trial: State and defense rest