Double murder retrial of famed Gifford rapper Jamell Demons, known as YNW Melly, on hold

A lot has happened since July to delay the death penalty retrial of famed Gifford rapper Jamell Demons, known as YNW Melly, who is accused of killing two childhood friends after a 2018 recording session in Broward County.

Demons’ first trial ended when a deadlocked jury on July 22 prompted Broward County Circuit Judge John Murphy III to declare a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict following three days of deliberations.

Jury selection in October for Demons’ retrial ended after the state opted to appeal a Dec. 20 ruling by Murphy that threw out evidence prosecutors have said helps prove Demons’ guilt in the late-night double murders that could send him to Florida’s death row, if convicted.

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Demons, and his childhood friend and recording partner Cortlen Henry, now both 25, have pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm in the Oct. 26, 2018, shooting deaths of Anthony Williams, 21, and Christopher Thomas Jr., 19.

The four men grew up together and were members of the same hip-hop group. Williams, of Gifford, was known by the stage name YNW Sakchaser, and Thomas, of Fort Pierce, by the name YNW Juvy. Henry was known as YNW Bortlen.

Prosecutors have said Demons, after a late-night recording session, shot Thomas and Williams inside a 2018 Jeep Compass and he and Henry then tried to make it look like a drive-by shooting.  They’ve claimed ballistics tests showed the pair were fatally shot inside the vehicle.

Demons’ attorneys have rejected that claim as lacking credibility because Demons and the victims were close friends and recording partners. They also focused on the fact that a murder weapon was never recovered.

Henry, who is being tried separately, faces a maximum of life in prison if he is convicted.

When the murders happened, Demons was just rising in the hip-hop industry. He gained rap fame with his song titled "Murder on my Mind" on his 2018 tape "I Am You."

His first trial was live streamed on numerous online platforms, including the Law & Crime Network, and was widely reported on news websites and on social media.

Retrial on hold

It’s unclear how long Demons’ retrial will be delayed as prosecutors turn to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach seeking to reverse Murphy’s Dec. 20 ruling, which excluded as evidence some of Demons’ phone records, emails and social media posts, in addition to a promotional video he released shortly after the murders.

On Thursday, Murphy denied a defense request to lift a hold he ordered in the trial proceedings after the state signaled it would appeal his ruling, records show.

But he’s also allowing both sides to conduct discovery activities, such as scheduling depositions while appeals are pending.

The purpose for issuing a stay in the event of an appeal, Murphy wrote, “is to prevent the state from having to go to trial without the benefit of materially helpful evidence.”

“If (Demons) is unable to proceed with discovery, he will be forced to choose between his speedy trial rights and his right to a fair trial,” Murphy noted.

The delay in Demons’ retrial is one of several twists in a case full of legal turns that’s included swapping out lead prosecutors since the first trial ended and Demons and Henry both facing new charges related to witness tampering.

On Oct. 12, former lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley was ordered off the case after the defense claimed the state failed to reveal that their lead investigator, Miramar Police detective Mark Moretti, had been previously accused of being willing to lie as he gathered evidence in the case.

In removing Bradley, Murphy didn’t find that her integrity had been compromised, but filings show he agreed she couldn’t prosecute the case if the defense intended to call her as a witness regarding Moretti’s credibility.

Meanwhile, Assistant State Attorney Alixandra Buckelew, who replaced Bradley, hopes to bar from the retrial any juror with "significant knowledge” of Demons’ first trial.

Some jurors, according to Buckelew, have said they watched Demons’ trial last year, or had done significant research on the case.

“The court cannot allow jurors to remain in the panel who have significant knowledge of the prior trial,” she wrote, “whether or not these jurors have any preformed opinions or not.”

Witness tampering charges

Just as Demons’ October retrial was about to start, prosecutors charged him with seven new felonies related to making sure a key witness didn’t testify at his first murder trial, according to court filings.

The new charges include tampering with a witness in a capital felony; directing the activities of a criminal gang; two counts of solicitation to commit tampering; conspiracy to commit tampering; two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Demons is accused with Henry and Broward County Jail inmate Terrence Mathis, 40, of engaging in witness tampering between April 10 and July 22, records show.

When Henry was arrested on the witness tampering counts, he was returned to the Broward County Jail after his pretrial release granted in 2021 was revoked.

Mathis in April, court records show, was convicted of second-degree murder in an unrelated 2017 shooting death of a man during a botched robbery.

In court filings, prosecutors have accused Demons of being a member of the Bloods street gang. He reportedly used phone calls made by other jail inmates at his request and letters passed between them to get messages to Blood members on the streets. Those members, according to prosecutors, successfully made sure a key witness didn’t testify last year.

He's pleaded not guilty to one count each of directing the activities of a criminal gang; criminal solicitation to commit murder; and conspiracy to tamper with witness in a capital felony case.

If convicted of witness tampering in a capital case, Demons could face up to life in prison, records show.

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Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at  melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Retrial of Gifford rapper Jamell Demons, known as YNW Melly pushed off