New Date Set for YNW Melly’s Double-Murder Retrial

YNW Melly’s double-murder retrial has finally been given a new date.

On Monday (July 8), NBC Miami reported that Melly’s double-murder retrial was scheduled for Sept. 10, 2025. Melly returned to the Broward County Courthouse where Judge Martin Fein announced during a hearing that the retrial will officially commence at 9 a.m. local time on that date. Additionally, for Melly’s more recent witness tampering case, Judge Fein set a pretrial meeting for Dec. 5, 2024.

YNW Melly, born Jamell Demons, stands accused of murdering Chris “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, two of his childhood friends. The initial trial against Melly ended in a mistrial last summer. Williams and Thomas were killed following a late-night recording session in 2018, with Melly alleged to have attempted to stage the murders as a drive-by shooting.

When reached for comment, Melly’s attorney Raven Liberty mentioned that the new trial date is not set in stone. “At this juncture, it is merely a date,” Liberty said. “We await a ruling from the 4th DCA on the suppression motions keeping out the text messages. Once the ruling comes back, Mr. Demons can demand a speedy trial.”

Melly’s mother also took to Instagram to confirm the new date, expressing her feelings on the development. She said, “We are gonna trust God on everything like we’ve been doing. We’re gonna see where it goes. It’s all we can do.”

Melly’s retrial had initially been slated to start on Oct. 9, 2023, but was delayed following an additional charge of witness tampering against Melly and YNW Bortlen.

According to a police affidavit obtained by XXL, Terrence Mathis, an inmate accused of contacting YNW Bortlen on behalf of YNW Melly, referred to Melly’s ex-girlfriend, Mariah Hamilton, as “Rihanna” during their phone calls and texts. They allegedly plotted together to prevent Hamilton from testifying. The documents specifically note multiple instances back in April where Mathis placed three-way messages to Bortlen on Melly’s behalf. In one of these exchanges, Mathis referred to Hamilton as Rihanna.

Back in January, Judge John J. Murphy III had indicated that Melly’s retrial would begin on March 5, due to the duration for which Melly had been in custody. However, a new date did not proceed at that time.

Source: NBC Miami, XXL