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YNW Melly will no longer face trial on witness tampering charges after prosecutors dropped the case just days before proceedings were set to begin.
The Florida rapper, born Jamell Demons, was scheduled to go to trial on Wednesday (Jan. 21). However, during a court hearing on Tuesday (Jan. 20), prosecutors announced their decision to dismiss the witness tampering and related gang allegations.
Melly’s attorneys, Drew Findling and Carol Haughwout, welcomed the move in a statement, saying it became “immediately apparent” after they were retained that no crimes had occurred. They criticized the State for allowing the charges to remain pending for 652 days before reaching that conclusion on the eve of trial.
“We now look forward to seeking Mr. Demons’ release from custody,” the attorneys said, noting that he has been held under “extraordinarily restrictive conditions” based on claims the prosecution has now abandoned. His legal team added that release would allow Melly to better prepare his defense for upcoming proceedings.
Melly has been incarcerated since 2019, when he was charged with the double murder of his childhood friends Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, who were killed in October 2018. His first trial ended in a mistrial in 2023, and prosecutors later elected to retry the case.
In October 2023, Melly was additionally charged with witness tampering, accused of attempting to influence his ex-girlfriend Mariah Hamilton and her mother Felicia Holmes not to testify in the original trial. Those charges are now dismissed.
Melly’s double-murder retrial is currently scheduled for January 2027, meaning his legal battles are far from over—but the dismissal marks a significant development in his ongoing case.
