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FLORIDA - Rapper YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, appeared in court Wednesday as prosecutors pushed to delay his upcoming retrial for capital murder, citing an unresolved appeal in district court.
Demons is accused of allegedly killing two of his close friends, Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr., in October 2018.
Investigators allege he conspired with fellow rapper Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry to stage the scene as a drive-by shooting after the victims were reportedly shot inside a vehicle.
Demons was arrested in February 2019 and has remained in custody ever since.
His first trial ended in July 2023 with a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
The retrial had been scheduled for September 10th, 2025.
However, prosecutors now argue that the case cannot proceed while a related appeal is pending, prompting their formal motion for a continuance.
A continuance is a legal request to postpone a trial to a later date.
Broward County Judge Martin S. Fein, who is overseeing the case, has previously urged both sides to avoid further delays.
But he acknowledged Wednesday that the appeal may require pushing the trial back once again.
Demons faces the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
A separate pretrial hearing regarding alleged witness tampering is scheduled for December 5, 2024.
No new trial date has been confirmed, but Judge Fein is expected to make a ruling on the continuance soon.
The high-profile case continues to draw national attention nearly seven years after the original arrests.