Florida prosecutors just handed YNW Melly a massive legal victory.
The state dropped all witness-tampering charges against the rapper on Monday (January 20), just one day before jury selection was scheduled to begin.
Broward County State Attorney’s Office dismissed four separate charges against YNW Melly. The charges included witness tampering, directing criminal gang activities, criminal solicitation to commit murder, and conspiracy to tamper with a witness in a capital case.
Melly’s new legal team celebrated the decision immediately. Attorneys Drew Findling and Carey Haughwout released a statement to TMZ about the dismissal.
“On behalf of Jamell Demons, we welcome the dismissal of the alleged tampering and gang related charges in court this morning,” the lawyers said. “As his newly retained legal team, it became immediately apparent to us that no crimes had occurred.”
The attorneys criticized the length of time the case dragged on before prosecutors reached this conclusion. They pointed out that Melly spent 652 days in custody while these charges were pending.
“Unfortunately, for 652 days while these charges were pending, the State did not reach the same conclusion until the cusp of trial,” Findling and Haughwout stated.
Prosecutors originally claimed Melly tried to stop a witness from testifying in his 2023 double murder trial. The state alleged he worked with co-defendant Cortlen Henry and another inmate to pressure his ex-girlfriend not to take the stand.
That murder trial ended with a hung jury after three days of deliberations. The case involved allegations that Melly shot and killed two childhood friends in October 2018.
Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams died in what prosecutors called a staged drive-by shooting. The state claimed Melly and Henry fired at Henry’s Jeep to make it look like they were also targets.
Henry reached a plea deal with prosecutors in September 2025. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on witness tampering and accessory after the fact charges.
The witness tampering trial was scheduled to begin on Tuesday with jury selection. Now Melly’s legal team can focus entirely on preparing for his murder retrial.
“We now look forward to seeking Mr. Demons’ release from custody, where he has been held under extraordinarily restrictive conditions for far too long based on premises the state has now abandoned,” the attorneys said.
Melly has been in custody for a total of 2,202 days since his arrest. His double murder retrial is scheduled for January 2027, which would mark eight years since his initial arrest.
The “Murder On My Mind” rapper still faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted on the murder charges.
Melly’s defense team says they will now push for his release from jail pending the murder retrial. They argue the restrictive conditions he’s been held under are no longer justified.
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