YNW Melly Possibly Facing Death Penalty If Convicted In Murder Trial
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YNW Melly could possibly face capital punishment sentencing. On Thursday (Nov. 10), Billboard reported that the troubled Gifford, Fla. rapper could be hit with the death penalty if convicted in his upcoming murder trial.
Previously, Judge Andrew Siegel ruled that prosecutors had forfeited their right to seek the death penalty because they “failed” to give the rapper’s attorneys “proper notice.” However, the judge on the “Murder On My Mind” rapper’s case has since ruled the initial decision to be “incorrect.”
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The conclusion arrived as Judge Siegel considered Melly’s case as one of “great public importance” and asserted that the state high court should decide the case’s outcome.
“Notice is notice,” the court wrote, reversing its previous decision.
Melly and his attorneys won’t know whether or not he’ll be given the death penalty until the Florida Supreme Court rules on the case.
The “Mind of Melvin” artist’s attorney Philip R. Horowitz released a statement regarding the court’s determination, expressing he and his client YNW, née Jamell Maurice Demons, were ultimately “disappointed in the ruling.” But Horowitz declared that they “look forward to our opportunity to argue our position before the justices.”
Demons, 23, who was recently accused of escaping prison, has been awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges where he and another rapper are accused of shooting and killing two members of YNW, Anthony “Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “Juvy” Thomas Jr., in 2018.
Demons’ trial had been scheduled to begin in April 2022 but was postponed, which led the artist’s attorney to call for a “speedy trial demand.” As a result, another trial was scheduled for July 2022 but was delayed yet again over the ongoing dispute regarding the death penalty.
