Florida rapper YNW Melly’s retrial for a double murder has been pushed back to March 2024.
YNW Melly verbally waived his rights to a speedy trial last week, and his lead attorney, Jamie Benjamin, was granted a Motion for Continuance by Judge John Murphy III on December 20. The prosecution and defense are currently filing motions ahead of the retrial, which was set to begin on February 5, 2024. However, Melly’s lawyers filed for the trial delay as they tackled various issues relating to evidence from the first trial.
The retrial has now been pushed back to March 5, according to a new order signed by Judge Murphy, the Miami Herald reported.
In the meantime, Jamell Demons, YNW Melly’s government name, spent another Christmas behind bars with his mother, Jamie, vowing on Instagram that she won’t stop fighting for him. Melly is accused of killing his two friends, Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas.
In the meantime, the case is currently in the jury selection phase while the defense goes through its list of witnesses with a fine-toothed comb and challenges any evidence to be presented by the prosecution.
Among the new evidence the new prosecutor Alixandra Buckelew wants to introduce are lyrics from 55 songs by Melly.
According to the prosecutor, the song lyrics are “the defendant’s own words and therefore amount to an admission and/or adoptive.” According to her, the retrial won’t be a “script” read from the first trial but a new trial.
Melly’s lawyer is also shoring up his defense, with them being partially successful in being granted 13 defense motions to throw out key evidence. Among the evidence the judge has restricted is the admission of digital evidence, including messages, to the day of and following the murders.
#YNWMellyTrial2: @YNWMelly’s lead attorney, Jamie Benjamin, has CANCELLED ALL DEPOSITIONS for the scheduled dates of December 28 and 29 2023, and January 2, 3, 4, and 5, 2024 — according to notice filed with Broward Clerk on Wednesday, December 27.
Filed on December 15, the… pic.twitter.com/JY4HnXtuoc
— Bryson “Boom” Paul (@brysonboompaul) December 27, 2023
#YNWMellyTrial2: It appears the state of Florida doesn't quite agree with Judge Murphy lll’s recent ruling and order of Motions To Suppress #1-13 in the @YNWMelly retrial on December 20 in Broward County court; therefore, prosecutor ASA Alixandra Buckelew have filed a Motion For… pic.twitter.com/zwsmBrknzn
— Bryson “Boom” Paul (@brysonboompaul) December 29, 2023
There are some 20 motions to be heard by the judge, with that motion suppressing the text messages being the critical point of contention.
Buckelew successfully prosecuted the XXXTentacion trial and has since filed a 57-page motion appealing the judge’s ruling. In her arguments, she said Melly’s right to privacy does not extend to a right to commit a criminal offense since his communications are now public.
