YNW Melly’s long-awaited double murder retrial has been pushed back again – this time until January 2027 – marking nearly eight years since the rapper was first arrested.
Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, has been locked up since February 2019, facing first-degree murder charges for the 2018 killings of Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr.
The latest delay came on Friday, August 8, when Judge Martin S. Fein confirmed the new 2027 date. The retrial was supposed to start September 10 this year, but ongoing appeals over what evidence can be admitted have put the brakes on the case. Last week, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal issued a stay, halting all proceedings until the evidentiary fight is resolved. Both the prosecution and defense had pushed for the pause.
Still, Melly’s attorney Raven Liberty says pushing the trial almost three years out is unnecessary. “We’re disappointed that today’s hearing was yet another win for the State of Florida allowing more time to subject my client to inhumane treatment,” Liberty told Billboard. “Every American should be concerned about this abuse of the justice system and basic Constitutional rights.”
Prosecutors claim Melly shot his friends after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale in October 2018, with fellow YNW rapper Cortland “YNW Bortlen” Henry allegedly staging a drive-by shooting to cover it up. Henry is charged as an accomplice and will face his own trial separately.
This isn’t the first time the retrial has been delayed. The original trial date in April 2022 was scrapped, followed by a heated battle over whether Melly could face the death penalty. The trial eventually began in June 2023 but ended in a mistrial when jurors couldn’t reach a verdict. An October 2023 retrial date was then set aside after new disputes over evidence surfaced.
Earlier this year, Judge Fein urged prosecutors to stick to the September 2024 date, pointing out that Melly has already spent more than 2,200 days in custody. “If one state attorney is not available, maybe one of the other two assigned to this case can stand in, and if all three are not available, maybe one of the 150 state attorneys upstairs might sit in,” he said, according to NBC 6 Miami.
But after both sides requested the stay and the appeals court agreed, the case stalled once again. Prosecutors argued that moving forward without a resolution on evidence would “inflict” irreversible harm to their ability to prosecute the case. Melly’s defense team countered that without the delay, his due process rights would be violated because they wouldn’t have enough time to complete discovery.
While the appeal is set for arguments next month, Liberty insists that her client should get his trial within 60 days of the appellate court’s decision. “Mr. Demons is ready for trial, and we do not expect he will need to wait until 2027 to secure his freedom,” she said.
The 2027 date now hangs over a case that has already seen years of legal twists, high-profile arguments, and a mistrial that left the future wide open. If the delay holds, Melly’s retrial will begin nearly a decade after the alleged murders – a timeline his team says is far too long for justice to be served.
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