YNW Melly will no longer stand trial on witness tampering charges after prosecutors dropped the charges.
The Florida rapper’s trial is scheduled to begin on Wednesday (January 21). However, at a hearing on Tuesday (January 20), prosecutors decided to drop the case.
Melly’s attorneys, Drew Findling and Carol Haughwout, released the following statement to XXL regarding the latest status of the case.
“On behalf of Jamell Demons, we welcome the court’s dismissal this morning of the alleged tampering and gang-related charges,” the statement read. “As his newly hired legal team, we immediately realized that no criminal conduct had occurred. Unfortunately, in the 652 days that these charges were pending, the government did not come to the same conclusion until the trial was about to begin.”
The statement continued: “We now look forward to the release of Mr. DeMons, who has been held under extremely restrictive conditions for far too long in a facility now abandoned by the state. His release will allow him to participate fully and meaningfully in the preparation of his defense in the upcoming proceedings, which we intend to prosecute aggressively.”
Melly has been in prison since 2019, when he was charged with double murder in connection with the October 2018 slayings of childhood friends Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams. His first trial ended in a mistrial in 2023. However, prosecutors decided to retry the case.
In October 2023, Melley was charged with witness tampering and accused of convincing his ex-girlfriend Maria Hamilton and her mother Felicia Holmes not to testify at the first trial.
Mellie’s double murder case is scheduled to be retried in January 2027.
