Sophia Michaels
Jurors were unable to come to a verdict in YNW Melly’s double murder trial.
The 12-member panel informed Broward Circuit Court Judge John Murphy on Saturday that they were deadlocked on the “Murder on My Mind” rapper’s two first-degree murder charges after three days of deliberations.
“We are still unable to reach a unanimous decision,” the jury wrote to the judge Saturday, according to the Miami Herald.
“We appreciate the fact you were here and ready to serve,” Murphy told the jurors.
Melly — whose real name is Jamell Demons — is accused of fatally shooting his childhood friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in October 2018 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
According to prosecutors, Melly, Williams (YNW Sakchaser) and Thomas (YNW Juvy) were riding in a Jeep driven by Cortland Henry (YNW Bortlen) after a recording session at a local studio.
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They claim that the “Suicidal” rapper, 24, shot and killed Williams and Thomas in the vehicle and he and Henry drove the bodies to an area near the Everglades.
Prosecutors allege that Melly and Henry shot at the passenger and back sides of the Jeep from the outside to make it look like the deceased men had been the victims of a drive-by shooting.
However, prosecutors say ballistics tests show Williams and Thomas were shot from inside the Jeep.
Henry has been charged as an accomplice in the case and will be tried separately.
Throughout the trial, the defense attorneys centered their case around the fact that the gun was never recovered. They also told jurors that Melly had no apparent motive to kill his close friends.
Melly pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2019.
Due to the mistrial, prosecutors, who had been seeking the death penalty, will likely retry the case with a new jury.
