Judge John Murphy receives a question from the jury from Broward Sheriff’s Office court deputy Gary Toth in the trial of Jamell Demons, better known as rapper YNW Melly, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, July 21, 2023. Demons, 22, is accused of killing two fellow rappers and conspiring to make it look like a drive-by shooting in October 2018. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The jury tasked with deciding the fate of rapper YNW Melly can’t come to a decision, they told Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy Friday.
“What if we can’t come to a decision?” the jurors wrote in a note. “Everyone is stuck on which side they chose.”
Friday was the second day of jury deliberations.
After receiving the note, Murphy brought the jury back into the courtroom and read them the Allen charge, a set of instructions given to a jury that believe it’s deadlocked. The charge urges jurors to continue deliberating before coming to a conclusion. But if they don’t, the case will result in a mistrial.
Melly, who’s often expressive and flashed smiles at loved ones and supporters during the trial, was straight faced when the jury was read the charge.
Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is accused of shooting to death his childhood friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in an alleged drive-by cover-up after spending the night of Oct. 26, 2018, at a Fort Lauderdale recording studio. Williams and Thomas, both aspiring rappers with the YNW collective, were known as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, respectively.
The 24-year-old’s case is among the first being considered after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law to lower the threshold for a death sentence to an 8-4 jury vote, from a unanimous vote.
What would a mistrial mean?
If the jury remains deadlocked, the judge will declare a mistrial. But that doesn’t mean Melly would be found innocent.
Mistrials usually occur after a jury is unable to reach a verdict or if there was misconduct or a serious error that could lead to an unfair trial. Prosecutors may pursue a new trial within 90 days of the original trial, in most cases.
That means the state has the option to retry the rapper.
This story was originally published July 21, 2023, 3:26 PM.
