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The date of YNW Melly's double-murder retrial, which was scheduled to begin on September 10, 2025, has been delayed once again. In a June 30, 2025, report by AllHipHop, the reason behind the recent delay in Melly's retrial is a pending court appeal that has yet to be resolved.
According to the media outlet, prosecutors in the case informed the judge in a Florida court that the unresolved appeal presents an obstacle to the trial, automatically pausing any proceedings.
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The court officials involved in the murder trial claim that, in light of the delay, the judge has scheduled a hearing for the retrial on July 9, during which both parties will discuss the next potential retrial date.
YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Maurice Demons, was first arrested in 2019. Demons was accused of killing his fellow YNW collective members and close friends - YNW Juvy (Christopher Thomas Jr.) and YNW Sakchaser (Anthony Williams) - at the time. YNW Bortlen, who is another friend of Melly's, was also accused as a co-defendant in the crime.
Both rappers pleaded not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder and were subsequently arrested. Per AllHipHop, the prosecutors in their trial alleged that the duo staged their murders to seem like a drive-by shooting.
YNW Melly was taken into custody in Florida's Broward County Jail in 2019, where he has spent more than 2300 days.
YNW Melly's first trial ended in a mistrial two years ago
The latest delay in YNW Melly's retrial comes two years after the rapper's first trial ended in a mistrial. According to Pitchfork, the mistrial was prompted by the jury in Demons' case, who were unable to reach a unanimous decision after three days of deliberation.
After Melly was found neither guilty nor not guilty in the absence of a verdict, the Suicidal rapper was sent back to prison to await a retrial. While the prosecutors were eligible to file for a retrial within 90 days of the mistrial, Melly's retrial has since faced multiple postponements due to disputes over evidence and pending appeals.
Demons' legal team has also requested the court to grant the rapper a bail bond, which has also been denied.
USA Herald reported on June 9, 2025, that in light of the mistrial, the prosecution has slapped new charges of witness tampering on Melly, thereby making the prospect of winning the trial even more difficult for the 772 Love rapper's legal team.
If convicted of the charges of first-degree murder, YNW Melly will either receive the death penalty or a life imprisonment sentence without parole.
Bradford Cohen, YNW Melly's first attorney in the case, shared his opinion on the lengthening legal battle last month. Cohen claimed that speed was key in winning his trial, stating that the state now had "7 years an a first trial to perfect all the complete and utter screw ups, bad arguments, and errors."
Cohen also added that Melly should have gone to trial within the first six months, as the attorney had previously suggested, regardless of how "scary" it seemed at the time.
