YNW Melly, who rose to fame with “Murder on My Mind,” has been making headlines as his trial — for double-murder charges following the deaths of two of his “best friends” Christopher “Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “Sak” Williams in October 2018 — has come to a halt once again.
Prosecutors in rapper’s case are fighting to overturn Judge Andrew Siegel’s ruling, which denied Melly the death penalty. The judge cited the state of Florida’s failure to give Melly and his attorney adequate notice beforehand as reasoning against the death penalty, but prosecutors believe the ruling was flawed.
“The State’s discretion to seek the death penalty does not absolve it of its duty to strictly comply with the notice requirements,” the judge wrote on July 6. “To permit the State to seek the death penalty when it has not complied with the 45-day notice requirement would run clearly counter to the requirements of the rule and the intent of the Florida Supreme Court.”
The stalemate has resulted in the postponement of Melly’s trial until state appeals court can determine if they can seek the death penalty. It’s unclear how long it will take for the appeal to be filed. In the meantime, Judge Siegel has scheduled a status conference for July 21, but the conference may not result in a decision on how to proceed with the death penalty.
Melly was arrested for his connection to the crime by law enforcement in February 2019 and pleaded not guilty a month later; he currently remains in jail.
Read on for a timeline of Melly’s career and legal troubles.
