Florida Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for YNW Melly

Matthew Strauss
The Florida rapper has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder

The State of Florida plans to seek the death penalty against rapper YNW Melly, TMZ reports and Pitchfork can confirm. In an interview with Billboard, one of Melly’s lawyers, Jason Roger Williams, said that the prosecution has “indicated... since the beginning of this case” that it would pursue the death penalty. In addition, Williams said the prosecution will present evidence at a discovery hearing this week. (Broward County records viewed by Pitchfork show that there is a hearing in the case scheduled for this Thursday, April 25.) YNW Melly’s lawyers—Williams, Bradford Cohen, and Nicole Burdett—said they will fight the charges.

Earlier this year, YNW Melly was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors claim that he and his co-defendant YNW Bortlen killed two members of their own YNW crew in South Florida last autumn. Melly has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Read Pitchfork’s explainer “YNW Melly Is Charged With the Murder of Two Friends. What Happened?”