Who is YNW Melly? Learn about South Florida rapper currently on trial for double-homicide charges

Opening statements and testimony began Monday for South Florida-born rapper Jamell Demons, known as YNW Melly, for his double homicide trial in Broward County.

Demons, and his childhood friend and recording partner Cortlen Henry — YNW Bortlen — now both 24, are from Gifford and are each charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm in the 2018 shooting deaths of friends Anthony Williams, 21 — aka YNW Sakchaser — and Christopher Thomas Jr., 19 — aka YNW Juvy.

The 24-year-old rapper, who was just rising in the hip-hop industry when the shooting occurred, is facing the death penalty if convicted.

Here's everything you need to know about YNW Melly and his background as the trial begins this week:

Go back to when it first happened: Florida rapper YNW Melly murder charges: The full story

Who is YNW Melly?

YNW Melly, born Jamell Maurice Demon, is a 24-year-old rapper and singer from Gifford, Florida.

In a 2019 interview with Complex, just two days before his arrest, Demons shared a few details of his life in South Florida. He talked about using his difficult upbringing within his music and how despite a lack of funds, he always cultivated his own style.

“I always had my own style,” he told Complex reporters. “I had to make stuff work. In middle school, I only had three outfits for, like, six months. I had to switch them b****** up, though, so I had something for a whole week of school.”

During an interview with Bootleg Kev and DJ Hed on Real 92.3 in February of 2019, Melly would reveal that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

How did YNW Melly get his name? What does YNW stand for?

His stage name is YNW Melly with the YNW standing for “Young New Wave,” or a variation of the N-word some might find offensive. It is also a collective that included Demons, Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams, Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr., and Cortlen "YNW Bortlen" Henry.

Fans online theorize that Demons got the "Melly" part of his stage name from the shortened form of his first name. He also added the Y because his reported idol, Lil Wayne, has a Y in his name.

How did he first rise to fame?

Demons rose to fame under the pseudonym YNW Melly, breaking out on the rap scene with his song titled "Murder on my Mind" on his 2018 tape "I Am You."

The song was originally uploaded onto SoundCloud on March 4, 2017, and later released as a single by 300 Entertainment on June 1 of the next year. According to reports, the rapper thought up the chorus of "Murder on My Mind" when he was first incarcerated at the age of 16.

Since his arrest for the double homicide of his friends, the song peaked within the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the US Apple Music chart.

Who has YNW Melly collaborated with?

Demons collaborated with controversial rapper Kanye West on the 2019 song "Mixed Personalities."  Along with his collaboration with West, he would also introduce the world to his alter ego, Melvin.

He also released a remix with the late rapper Juice WRLD, who died in 2019, on his song "Suicidal" in 2020.

On his latest album, "Just a Matter of Slime," Demons features rappers Lil Uzi Vert, Kodak Black and Lil Baby on some of his tracks amongst his features. The album was released in 2021.

When has YNW Melly been arrested?

In late 2015, Demons was arrested for shooting at a group of students near Vero Beach High School. He was subsequently convicted of aggravated battery, discharging a firearm in public, and two counts of aggravated assault, for which he served several months in prison.

In 2017, Demons was arrested for violating probation and spent several months in jail before being released in March 2018.

He has been arrested twice in Fort Myers — in 2018 possession of marijuana, possession of weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, and drug paraphernalia. Then, he was arrested again in early 2019 for possession of marijuana.

What happened in October 2018 with Demons, Henry, and the two victims?

Demons and Henry were both 19 when Thomas, 19, of Gifford, and Williams, 21, of Fort Pierce, were shot and killed on Oct. 26, 2018, in South Florida. The homicides occurred during what the Miramar Police Department later called a staged drive-by shooting.

At about 4:35 a.m., Henry pulled into Memorial Hospital Miramar with the bodies of Williams and Thomas in the passenger seats of a bullet-riddled Jeep Compass.

The rapper originally told police the two were killed by unknown assailants in a drive-by shooting. Police later said Henry and Demons orchestrated the killings, with Demons pulling the trigger and Henry assisting in a cover-up.

Reports later released from investigators found that:

• Police found no evidence of shots fired in the location Henry said the shooting occurred. There were no reports of gunshots in the area.

• Cell phone records and surveillance video showed an associate had given false information about Demons' whereabouts before the shooting.

• Cell phone records and surveillance video showed the path taken to the hospital contradicted Henry's testimony.

• Forensic evidence at the actual crime scene, determined by cell phone records and a K-9 search, showed no other vehicles were present at the time of the shooting.

• A trajectory analysis on the vehicle showed the paths of the bullets (right to left) did not match the victims' wounds (left to right).

Henry was arrested in Texas and extradited to Broward County on Feb. 12, 2019, while Demons surrendered in Broward County on late Feb. 13.

What is Demons charged with?

Miramar police arrested Demons and he was charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder and faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or the death penalty if convicted. Since 2019, he has been held at the Broward County jail.

Henry, who also pleaded not guilty, is not facing the death penalty; he was released in 2020 on bail and conditions of house arrest.

What album did YNW Melly release in jail?

With Demons behind bars, he released an album called "Just A Matter of Slime." The album title was allegedly a reference to Melly's incarceration as he references "Just a Matter of Slime" as being released soon.

Four days after its August 2021 release, a post on the YNW Melly Instagram account stated that Demons was placed on roughly three-month probation restriction from video visits because he promoted the album in video visits with his manager.

What happens if Demons is convicted?

If a jury finds Demons guilty of first-degree murder during the first part of his trial, the same jury that convicted him would then determine his punishment, which can only be life in prison or execution.

By state law, first-degree murder is punishable either by death or life without parole for suspects at least 18 years old at the time of the offense.

If there is a penalty phase, state prosecutors will be able to rely on Florida’s new death penalty statute that reduces from 12 to eight the number of juror votes required to recommend a defendant guilty of capital murder be put to death, according to a June 2 order issued by Circuit Judge John J. Murphy III.

The new statute signed into law on April 20 by Gov. Ron DeSantis – 10 days after jury vetting began for Demons’ trial − dropped a requirement that all 12 jurors vote in favor of execution before a judge could impose the death penalty.

Demons’ lawyers had argued the new statute couldn’t be used in his case because nothing in it showed lawmakers intended that the amended law be applied retroactively.

Murphy, though, ruled “it is not fundamentally unfair” for Demons to be sentenced under the amended statute, “nor would it violate his right to due process of law.

The state on April 18, 2019, filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty alleging in part, “the capital felony was committed for pecuniary (monetary) gain.”

Where can I watch the trial?

Law&Crime partnered with hip-hop music journalist Byson Paul as a correspondent on the trial.

How to watch trial: YNW Melly double-homicide trial continues. Here's how to watch it online

The trial is being broadcast through the Law&Crime Network which can be accessed through a cable provider, streaming service and radio. Here is the full list of how you can follow along on the trial. Click here to watch the live stream of the trial on YouTube.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: YNW Melly double-homicide trial begins. Who is the Florida rapper?