YNW Melly double murder retrial is set to take place next week, but according to Miami Herald, the rapper is now facing a new charge.
Melly appeared in court on Wednesday, October 4th and was told he was being charged with witness tampering. As we previously shared, his his co-defendant, who was out on bond pending his trial, was also taken into custody in Miami-Dade on witness tampering charges as well.
The rapper’s defense attorneys said in a statement to the Miami Herald and called this situation a distraction. “This is a transparent and desperate attempt by the State Attorney’s office to distract the public for the deposition of an Assistant State Attorney who accused this case’s lead detective and lead prosecutor of felonies by falsifying and covering up evidence damaging to the state’s case.”
On Friday prosecutor, Michelle Boutros, has accused Melly of unethical behavior but Melly’s attorneys have filed a motion to have to Boutros new transcripts dismissed.
“There is now sworn testimony from a court officer that Det. Moretti illegally seized evidence, falsified a report, and solicited an officer to lie,” Melly’s defense team said in a statement. “Further, there is testimony that Kristine Bradley knowingly violated law by covering up this illegal seizure, and has had her bar license threatened by her superior, Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor.”
As we previously reported, the jury wasn’t able to come to a unanimous decision in the case so the Broward Circuit Court Judge John J. Murphy III declared a mistrial on July 22. The deliberation took 3 days and after they weren’t able to reach a decision Murphy thanked the jury for their efforts, saying, “These types of decisions, they’re hard decisions.”
RELATED: BREAKING: YNW Melly’s Double Murder Case Has Been Decalres A Mistrial
YNW Melly’s case went to trial almost four-and-a-half years after he was taken into custody. If he’s found guilty, the rapper could face the death penalty. The rapper was arrested in 2019 on first-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting two of his childhood friends, Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. They were both aspiring rappers with the YNW collective and were respectively known as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy.
The three men were being driven in a Jeep by Cortland Henry, known as YNW Bortlen, after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 26, 2018. Prosecutors allege Demons shot Williams and Thomas. Henry is being charged as an accomplice and will be tried separately, according to NBC News.