The YNW Melly murder case is the ongoing Florida prosecution of rapper Jamell Demons for the October 2018 shooting deaths of his two friends and collaborators, Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. Prosecutors allege Demons killed both men inside a Jeep and then staged the scene to look like a drive-by. His first trial ended in a hung jury in July 2023. He remains in a Broward County jail, is scheduled to be retried starting January 6, 2027, and still faces the death penalty.
Who the Victims Were
Christopher Thomas Jr., 19, went by YNW Juvy and was from Gifford, Florida, near Vero Beach.1TCPalm. Rappers YNW Juvy, YNW Sakchaser Shot, Killed in South Florida Anthony Williams, 21, went by YNW Sakchaser and was from Fort Pierce.2TCPalm. Anthony Williams, Christopher Thomas Jr. Shootings Three Years Later Both were childhood friends of Demons and members of the YNW collective, which had begun drawing national attention on the strength of Demons’ single “Murder on My Mind.”
What Prosecutors Say Happened
On the night of October 25 into the early hours of October 26, 2018, Demons, Williams, Thomas, and Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry were together at the New Era Recording Studio in Fort Lauderdale.3Miami Herald. YNW Melly Trial Evidence and Timeline Surveillance video showed three of them leaving in a gray 2018 Jeep Compass: Henry driving, Williams in the front passenger seat, Thomas in the right rear seat, and Demons behind the driver.4Local 10 News. YNW Melly on Trial: FBI Expert Presents Mobile Phone Data
The state’s theory is that after leaving the studio, Demons shot both Williams and Thomas from the left rear seat. Cell phone data traced the group’s phones to a remote stretch of Pembroke Road near the Everglades. Around 4:02 a.m., prosecutors say, Demons stepped out and fired more rounds into the Jeep from the outside to fake a drive-by.3Miami Herald. YNW Melly Trial Evidence and Timeline
Henry then drove the bullet-riddled vehicle to the emergency room at Memorial Hospital Miramar, telling staff and police the group had been ambushed on Miramar Parkway. Williams and Thomas were dead on arrival, both with multiple gunshot wounds.5El Paso Times. YNW Melly, Cortlen Henry Charged With Murder Prosecutors say Demons meanwhile called his girlfriend on FaceTime claiming he had been shot at, then had fellow rapper Fredo Bang pick him up.3Miami Herald. YNW Melly Trial Evidence and Timeline A witness from the studio, Treveon Glass, later testified he saw Demons at home in Miramar shortly afterward wearing different clothes.6Sun-Sentinel. YNW Melly Changed His Clothes After Shooting, Witness Says
What the Evidence Showed
Miramar Police, led by Detective Mark Moretti, used cell phone records to locate what they identified as the actual crime scene at the dead end of Pembroke Road, where they found .40-caliber shell casings and broken glass.7Local 10 News. YNW Melly on Trial: Shooting Reconstruction Expert Testifies A shooting reconstruction expert, Sgt. Christopher Williams, testified that the fatal shots came from inside the vehicle. Thomas was shot at close range in the middle of his cheek while facing forward, and both victims took rounds entering from the left, consistent with a shooter in the left rear seat.
Projectile analysis suggested the barrage of shots that hit the SUV from outside could not easily have happened while the vehicle was moving, which cut against the drive-by account.8Miami Herald. YNW Melly Trial Forensic Evidence A single .40-caliber shell casing was recovered from inside the Jeep, in a white plastic bag. Investigators told Henry they found no physical evidence of a shooting at the location he identified as the ambush site.9Pitchfork. YNW Melly Trial Hears Evidence From Experts and Witnesses in First Week
The forensic case against Demons had real holes. The murder weapon was never recovered. No gunpowder residue was found on him. DNA testing on items in the Jeep — a water bottle, clothing, Gucci sandals, blood-stained Air Jordans, and the shell casing — did not match his profile. The closest link was a “possible hit” for his DNA on the rear passenger-side door handle, from a second test run years later in June 2023.8Miami Herald. YNW Melly Trial Forensic Evidence The FBI cell-site analyst told jurors he could not “definitively say that the phones were together at the same exact location.”4Local 10 News. YNW Melly on Trial: FBI Expert Presents Mobile Phone Data Prosecutors also pointed to an Instagram exchange they argued was Demons admitting to the killings, plus a photo of Henry’s hands appearing unblemished after the supposed drive-by.9Pitchfork. YNW Melly Trial Hears Evidence From Experts and Witnesses in First Week
The Motive Question
Prosecutors never formally offered a motive at trial. Defense attorney David Howard told the jury that after four years of investigation, the state still could not explain why Demons would kill two of his closest friends.10Rolling Stone. YNW Melly Murder Trial Opening Statements
Outside court, Thomas Jr.’s father, Christopher Thomas Sr., told the Law and Crime network that the group had been planning to sell the YNW brand, with Williams to receive $200,000, Thomas Jr. $100,000, and Demons $200,000. He said Williams and Demons had argued over money and that Demons “didn’t want to give them guys nothing. He wanted to be the only one to shine.”11Miami Herald. YNW Melly Trial: Father Testifies About Alleged Motive A wrongful death suit filed by the victims’ estates in October 2020 alleged that “tension began to develop between the once cohesive group of friends about how the money should be distributed.”12Complex. YNW Melly Sued
Charges and the Death Penalty
Demons and Henry were arrested on February 13, 2019, each charged with two counts of first-degree murder.13The Fader. YNW Melly Charged With Murder of YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy After the grand jury indicted Demons, prosecutors filed notice they intended to seek the death penalty, citing the alleged gang-related nature of the crime as an aggravating factor.14Miami New Times. Rapper YNW Melly Will Face Death Penalty in Double Murder
A lower court judge ruled in July 2022 that the state had forfeited its right to seek death after prosecutors filed a superseding indictment.15Billboard. YNW Melly Death Penalty Ruling The Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed that ruling in November 2022, holding that the original notice still applied.16The Fader. YNW Melly Facing Potential Death Penalty Following New Ruling Death remains on the table.
The First Trial and Mistrial
Demons’ trial began in June 2023 in Broward Circuit Court before Judge John Murphy. After weeks of testimony and more than 14 hours of deliberation across three days, the 12-member jury reported it was deadlocked.17Sun-Sentinel. YNW Melly Murder Case Ends in Mistrial Judge Murphy delivered an Allen charge instructing jurors to keep trying. More than five additional hours later they still could not agree, and on July 22, 2023, Murphy declared a mistrial.18NBC News. Murder Trial of Rapper YNW Melly Ends in Mistrial
The Broward County State Attorney’s Office announced it would retry Demons on the same charges. Because a hung jury is not an acquittal, he remained in custody.19Miami Herald. YNW Melly Murder Trial Ends in Mistrial
Cortlen Henry’s Plea Deal
Demons’ co-defendant resolved his case before the retrial. On September 9, 2025, Cortlen Henry pleaded no contest to two counts of accessory after the fact to a capital felony, one count of tampering with a witness, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the two first-degree murder counts, a separate witness-tampering charge, and a charge of directing the activities of a criminal gang.20Pitchfork. YNW Bortlen Gets Murder Charges Dismissed in Plea Deal The state acknowledged evidence was “insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he participated in a way that would make him a principal to the homicide(s).”21TCPalm. YNW Melly Double Murder Co-Defendant Cortlen Henry Plea Deal
Henry received 10 years in prison with credit for roughly four years already served, followed by six years of probation, and entered the Florida prison system on September 16, 2025. The deal requires him to give prosecutors a sworn statement about his role. His attorney, Fred Haddad, said afterward that Henry “will not be a witness in Melly’s retrial” and is “not a snitch,” though legal analysts noted the proffer could still be used as evidence or to impeach testimony.22Miami Herald. YNW Bortlen Plea Deal Details
What Has Changed Before Retrial
Digital Evidence Thrown Out
In October 2025, the Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld a ruling by Judge Murphy, who has since retired, that blocked prosecutors from using cellphone and social media data collected under warrants the court found “overly broad.” The appellate panel held the warrants amounted to an illegal search and seizure.23Sun-Sentinel. Appeals Court Tosses Crucial Social Media Records in YNW Melly Murder Case Losing that digital evidence is widely viewed as a significant setback for the state.
Questions About the Lead Detective
Allegations of misconduct against Detective Mark Moretti also surfaced. During a 2022 encounter in a Broward courthouse, Moretti executed a search warrant for the cell phone of Demons’ mother, Jamie King. A former prosecutor on the case, Kristine Bradley, filed a notice alleging Moretti asked a Broward Sheriff’s deputy to falsely claim he was present for the search. Internal affairs investigated a complaint from King and closed it, but Bradley was removed from the retrial team in October 2023, and the defense has used the incident to attack the investigation’s integrity.24Miami Herald. YNW Melly Case: Detective Conduct Allegations
A New Defense Team
In September 2025, Judge Martin Fein, who inherited the case after Murphy’s retirement, granted Demons’ request to replace his entire legal team. The motion cited a conflict of interest involving lead attorney Raven Liberty, who was reportedly under investigation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, arguing the investigation potentially compromised attorney-client communications.25NBC Miami. Judge Grants YNW Melly’s Request to Replace Legal Team Demons is now represented by Drew Findling and Carey Haughwout.26Billboard. YNW Melly Fires Defense Lawyers, Murder Trial Postponed
Pretrial Motions
In spring 2026, the defense moved to sever the gang-enhancement allegation from the guilt phase so jurors would not hear gang evidence while deciding whether Demons killed anyone, and to exclude out-of-court statements by Henry. The state opposed both motions. A ruling on a fresh pretrial release petition was deferred as of an April 30, 2026, hearing, and a separate bond request had been denied by Judge Fein in May 2026.27TCPalm. YNW Melly Update: Bond Request Ruling Deferred The court found that “the State’s evidence is arguably sufficient to convict.”28Miami Herald. YNW Melly Denied Bond
Where the Case Stands Now
Demons has been jailed since February 2019 and has been repeatedly denied bond. Witness-tampering charges added against him in October 2023 were dropped in January 2026, but he still faces two counts of first-degree murder with the death penalty available to prosecutors.29Miami Herald. YNW Melly Case: Latest Developments His retrial is scheduled to begin January 6, 2027, before Judge Martin Fein in Broward Circuit Court.30NBC Miami. YNW Melly Denied Bond Again Ahead of Double Murder Retrial His new attorneys have said: “The State failed to secure a conviction once, and we remain confident it will fail again.” Demons maintains his innocence.
Separately, the families of both victims filed wrongful death lawsuits in Broward County in October 2020, naming Demons, his mother Jamie King, his manager Jameson Francois, and Henry, and seeking damages “in the millions or tens of millions of dollars.”12Complex. YNW Melly Sued Those civil cases proceed on their own track and are not part of the criminal prosecution.