Florida rapper Cortlen Malik Henry, aka YNW Bortlen, recently took a plea deal on September 9, 2025, in the 2018 case of being charged with killing two of his crew members, along with YNW Melly.According to Pitchfork's report dated September 9, 2025, the rapper pleaded no contest to two counts of being an accessory to a capital felony, a count of tampering with a witness, and a count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device. As per Cornell Law School, the plea of "no contest" means that the defendant will not contest the charges against them.While the plea doesn't imply admission of guilt, it authorizes the court to treat the defendant as if they have committed the crime and are guilty for sentencing. In exchange for Bortlen's plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss multiple charges against him. These charges included one count of directing the activities of a criminal gang, one count of witness tampering, and two counts of first-degree murder. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWhile the counts of murder and accessory concerned the murders of Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr, charges concerning witness tampering date back to 2023. Arrested in 2019 alongside YNW Melly, the no-contest plea deal helped YNW Bortlen avoid double murder charges.The rapper will get a decade-long prison sentence and 6 years of probation. Additionally, he has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and provide information. Moreover, the judge clarified that no information given to the prosecution will change the terms of YNW Borlten's sentence.More details about YNW Bortlen explored in wake of "no contest" plea deal exploredYNW Bortlen is an associate of YNW Melly, where the YNW in their names is an acronym for 'Young Ni**a World' and 'Young New Wave.' Bortlen was born on January 24, 1999, as Cortlen Malik Henry. In addition to being Melly's associate, Bortlen is better known as the singer, rapper, and songwriter from Vero Beach, Florida.He is also the co-founder of the YNW collective and released his first single called Came From on September 19, 2018. In August 2020, Bortlen released his second single, Been Thru, which surpassed 2.9 million views on YouTube. While YNW Bortlen has released multiple songs since his debut single, he also collaborated with Hotboii over a single called Dedication in 2024.YNW Melly and Bortlen have been childhood friends, given that they both belong to Gifford. According to HipHopDX's report dated January 2023, an audio of YNW Bortlen speaking to detectives concerning the night of October 2018 started making rounds on the internet.YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy were killed in October 2018, which resulted in Melly and Bortlen being charged for their murders. In the reported phone call, YNW Bortlen recalled driving the vehicle from which shots were fired on Sakchaser and Juvy.In the alleged phone call with the detectives, Bortlen said:“I’m trying to make sure I don’t get hit. And you’re telling me about this- I don’t know, you know what I’m saying? I’m driving, sh*t crazy, bro.”While YNW Bortlen has taken a no-contest plea deal, his associate and friend, YNW Melly's retrial is scheduled for 2027. Melly's first trial ended in a mistrial in 2023.