Fact Check: Is YNW Melly dead? Death penalty claim goes viral amid release date speculation 

Fans of YNW Melly have been eagerly waiting on the court to decide whether the rapper will be convicted. Meanwhile, Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy has lowered the threshold to death sentence if the musician is found guilty. Following the latest announcement netizens have taken to the internet to spread misinformation on the artist being released and him being dead.

However, neither of the rumours are true. Latest announcements claim that the trial is yet to take place.

For those unversed, YNW Melly was arrested on February 13, 2019, on two counts of first-degree murder. This comes after investigators found evidence that proved that the rapper fatally shot Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr., who were 21 and 19 years old respectively.

Now, a judge has granted the state prosecutors’ motion that allows juries to recommend the death sentence with an 8-4 vote rather than a unanimous vote. The 24-year old’s death penalty case would be the first to come under consideration after the latest update.

Fans of the rapper, whose real name is Jamell Maurice Demons have since taken to the internet to express concern over the looming death penalty. A few tweets read:

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YNW Melly is still alive

As it has been announced that the rapper can potentially face a death penalty, one can assume that the singer is already dead if they are unaware of the court trial dates. However, YNW Melly is still very much alive.

The rapper’s mother, Jamie King took to her Instagram account on April 11 to announce that her son’s trial will begin on June 5.

However, latest updates claim otherwise. Blackroommedia.com announced that the rapper’s trial is set to begin on June 20. The same was reported by the Miami Herald as well.

If the musician had already faced the death sentence, news of the same would be available online. However, neither his family nor the court have announced so.

Although the trial is yet to take place, certain fans have fallen into the assumption that the Murder on My Mind singer’s trial has already ended and that the singer won the case. A few tweets read:

However, YNW Melly remains in the Broward main jail. His attorneys attempted to get him released at the height of the Covid pandemic, but they were not successful.

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Who is YNW Melly?

The Butter Pecan singer was born in Gifford, Florida. He entered the music industry by releasing tracks on SoundCloud. His freestyle rapping made him immensely popular. He went viral in 2018 after releasing singles like 772 Love and Virtual (Blue Balenciagas). His Murder on My Mind track is his most popular song yet.

The singer has recently become an infamous figure online due to the ongoing case against him. In 2018, the artist had left the New Era Recording Studio with his two friends Williams and Thomas Jr., when someone supposedly opened fire on them.

Melly claimed that he saved himself from the bullets while his friends became victims of gun violence.

During the investigation, police did not find any evidence that matched Melly’s account. They also uncovered a firearm inside the vehicle the trio were traveling in. Autopsy later suggested that the two men were shot by someone sitting from the left rear passenger seat, where Melly was caught sitting earlier in the night.