A date for YNW Melly’s double murder renewal has been set – but the rapper has to wait over a year behind bars for it.

Court records show Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Maurice Demons, is set for a new trial on Sept. 25, 2025. A hearing is set for Dec. 5, 2024.

Melly’s lawyer David Howard declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.

The rapper’s first double-murder trial ended in a mistrial after a Miami jury couldn’t unanimously decide whether he was guilty or innocent.

“These types of decisions, they’re difficult decisions,” Judge John Murphy told deadlocked jurors. “We really appreciate you giving us time because we’ve been here a long time. We understand that. You gave us time and you did your best to (get a solution), but unfortunately it wasn’t can’t happen.”

Who is YNW Melly?

YNW Melly, 25, is a rapper and songwriter from Gifford, Florida, best known for her breakout hit Murder on My Mind and Mixed personalities with Kanye West.

His legal troubles began making headlines in 2019 when he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

On October 26, 2018, YNW was Melly accused of shooting two of his friends to deathAnthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy), in Miramar, Florida.

Prosecutors allege that YNW Melly, along with rapper YNW Bortlen (Cortlen Henry), staged the murders to look like a drive-by shooting. Melly was arrested in February 2019 and has been in prison since then.

A self-recorded video of Melly stuffed into a suitcase before turning into a Miramar police officer was shown in court, but not to jurors.

“My name is Melly, and I’m going to turn myself in,” he whispers in the February 2019 video. “But I’m in a suitcase because these c—kers are arresting me, and I want to get on a private jet so they don’t see me.”

YNW Bortlen was also arrested as an accomplice. Both were charged with two counts of first degree murder. The prosecutor requests the death penalty for Melly.

Prosecutors argue that forensic evidence, including phone records and ballistics reports, show Melly’s involvement in the murders. They allege Melly shot both victims from inside the car and then worked with YNW Bortlen to stage the crime scene.

The exact motive behind the alleged murders remains unclear, although there have been various theories, including disputes over money or power within the group. The state of Florida is seeking the death penalty, citing the premeditated nature of the crime, Melly’s alleged actions to cover it up and the brutality of the incident.

The trial has suffered several delays, in part due to the covid-19 pandemic and legal maneuvering by the defense.

Melly also faces legal challenges related to his time in prison, including charges of conspiracy to escape from prison, although these have not been substantiated.

Melly is being held at the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale. In September, a judge denied his lawyers’ request for bail as he awaits a new trial.

Bortlen was released on bail in August 2021 but was reportedly arrested on witness tampering charges following a Miami police raid in October 2023. He was originally scheduled to go on trial that month, but it has been postponed.

Bortlen has been held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Florida since October.

Multiple personality disorder

In 2022, Melly’s legal team filed a motion to declare him mentally incompetent to stand trial, although prosecutors have disputed this claim.

Melly told Complex 2019 that he has multiple personality disorder, a dissociative disorder that means he has two or more distinct identities within the same person. Melly claimed to have six personalities but has only revealed Melly and Melvin.

“Melvin is not an alter ego, it’s a person,” he told the channel. “I have mixed personalities. It’s a different person.”

“Melly is a joker. He’s just the one that everybody loves, and he loves everybody,” he continued. “Melvin is the one protecting Melly from the wrong people.”

Melly has also claimed to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD.

Other attempts at rapping

The murder of Tupac Shakur remains one of the most famous unsolved cases in the history of hip-hop and popular culture. Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He succumbed to his injuries six days later, on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25.

In October last year, a The suspect was ultimately charged with Shakur’s murder. Prosecutors claim Duane “Keefe D” Davis was the gang leader who orchestrated the murder and is the only person still alive who is alleged to have been in the car from which the shots were fired.

Meanwhile Patrick Clark, the man who allegedly shot and killed Migos rapper Takeoff 2022, has a trial date set for January 23, 2024.

Young thug accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets individuals who commit crimes under a criminal organization in 2022. Williams and other defendants face charges related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activities, along with drug offenses . and weapon loads. The trial against him continues.

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