Who Is YNW Melly
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For those of you who have been living under a rug for the last few months, the YNW Melly trial has been taking over social media since its start! To give you some context YNW Melly who's real name is actually Jamell Maurice Demons is a professional rapper who was born in 1999. He started his career off by releasing music on popular music site Soundcloud, although much of his acclaim came after this incident. Scarily, his most popular solo track is titles 'Murder on My Mind'. Probably not going to do him any favours!
What Has He Been Accused Of?
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So the weird part about this whole crime is that the 'supposed' four people involved were actually good friends and part of the YNW group. Melly was arrested and accused of the murder of both YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy with the help of another YNW member in YNW Bortlen. Currently, as the trial continues to proceed both sides of the argument are trying to persuade the jury to side with them. We'll be looking in to the various bits of evidence and what's been said about them as we go through the case here.
He Staged The Crime Scene
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So, Melly was charged in 2019 after he turned himself in; this came after police began suggesting that Melly's story can't have been true as a result of what they found within the crime scene vehicle. Both Melly and Bortlen have since been accused of staging the double-murder in order to look like a drive-by shooting in order to try and protect themselves from being charged. In doing so, Bortlen drove to the hospital in the bloodied up car in order to make the whole story seem believable, or so the prosecution continues to say!
They Shot The Car
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In order to make a drive-by shooting look believable, or so the prosecution say, YNW Melly proceeded to shoot a number of bullets in to the car AFTER he had already killed the other two members in the car. If this was the case, it would seem as though the entire crime was actually pre-meditated and they'd thought through a way that they might be able to get away with their crimes! Combined with the facts the bullets appear to be the same, his defence isn't looking particularly strong in the case.
He Was Caught On Surveillance With YNW Bortlen
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Not only were Melly and Bortlen spotted on some surveillance videos together, they were also seen spending time still with the other members of the YNW group (the ones they are accused of killing). The problem is that the time the duo had said they were under fire in the drive-by shooting was actually the same time that they were spotted within the surveillance videos. This does look and sound a little suspiscious, that's for sure, but I suppose if they were really being shot at, then the last thing they'd be trying to remember was the time.
There's Some Suspicious Insta DM's
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The prosecution managed to get their hands on some of YNW Melly's Instagram DM's although some of this was claimed to be inadmissible by the defence based on them gaining them unlawfully. However, one of the interactions that has been analysed by the prosecution involves one conversation between Melly and another rapper who went by the name Peezy Gambino. Within the conversations Melly was seen to somewhat admit that he had taken part in the killing although the messages could and have been deemed to be ambiguous.
YNW'S Interview
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One of the biggest issues with this trial is that the message being given by both YNW Melly and YNW Bortlen doesn't seem to concur with all of the evidence that the police have found at the crime scene and during the investigation that has been going on since the murders in 2018. Like we've already discussed, they have claimed that they were actually shot at during a drive-by shooting whereas police and the prosecution have been clear that they don't believe there is any true evidence that this is actually the case.
Blood Splatter Evidence Is Damaging
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One of the most damaging pieces of evidence that the prosecution have used in order to try and confirm that the duo are responsible for the killings is the blood splatter evidence from within the car. If you're a fan of Dexter, think all the red wires but within the car! Supposedly, this blood splatter evidence looks as though the victims were actually shot from within the car and not from an outside source like Melly and Bortlen have claimed. And since this is some of the largest and most prominent pieces of evidence it doesn't look so promising.
They Found A Bullet Casing
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Another very damaging piece of evidence towards YNW Melly and Bortlen in contradicting their story is that upon investigation of the crime scene and in the back of the car, crime scene investigators found a bullet casing within a small plastic white bag in the back of the car. The casing is believed to have been fired on the night of the murders and it seems the prosecution are claiming they missed removing this one casing. It would seem to show that bullets were actually fired from within the car, not outside it.
A Crime Scene Investigator Made A Mistake
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One big win that has managed to be gained by the defense is that they managed to make one of the crime scene investigators admit to 'possibly' not changing her gloves between picking up bottles and other pieces of evidence in the back of the car. The defence claimed that this could lead to cross-contamination and potentially the transfer of partial fingerprints to other pieces of evidence. Despite this, she was able to 100% confirm that she did change her gloves as she moved to and from each different section of the vehicle.
No Gun Has Been Found
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Although shell casings (well, one shell casing) was found in the back of the vehicle, as of yet no gun has been found in relation to the crime and you'd think given the time between the crime and now it seems unlikely that the prosecution will ever be able to match a gun with the murders of the two YNW members. This is something that the defense are going to be able to constantly play off, they already have done during cross-examinations on multiple occasions. I suppose you could say the prosecution really are missing a smoking gun here.
Bortlen Looked Clean
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There is an image, undisclosed to the public by the prosecution that is said to show Bortlen just hours after the murders, seemingly untouched by any form of damage or blood. This is something the prosecution have been suggesting is very strange; how has YNW Bortlen been able to get away without suffering any damage at all and secondly, if he claims to be such good friends with the other 2 people in the car that were killed, did he not try and help them at all? The defence claimed he tried to duck and the drove away!
There's Some Snapchat Videos
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Some private videos from Melly's and other members of the group, as well as some friends' snapchat accounts were shown in the court, supposedly in an attempt by the prosecution to show how the duo were constantly reckless and didn't seem to have much care for what it was they were doing. This was another group of evidence that the defence has been trying to claim is admissible based on how the prosecution were able to get their hands on them in the first place. Despite this, the defence still claims it just shows some young friends messing around (with a gun!).
Did Felicia Holmes Lie?
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The prosecution, against the pleas of the defence party, called up a woman by the name of Felicia Holmes, she was the mother of YNW Melly's partner at the time of the killings, Mariah Hamilton. Questions have been raised about the seriousness of the claims that Felicia suggested at the time of the murders. During the initial investigation, she claimed she had facetimed Melly at the time of the killings, something she still stood by in court and she also denied sending any DM's claiming she would become a snitch!
The Defence Wanted A Mistrial
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Following the prosecution's surprise call up of Felicia Holmes to the stand, the defence requested a motion for a mistrial based on some of the issues that occurred as a result of them claiming the juries impression of the defendee was now ruined. The problems arose as the defence have said that the prosecution kept making implications within their speech towars the juries whilst also introducing evidence that shouldn't have been seen by anyone in the jury. In the world of law, this is known as prejudice! They didn't get the mistrial however!
She Claimed She Was Threatened
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It turns out that the call-up of Patricia Holmes hasn't really benefitted the prosecution in their attempts to get YNW Melly jailed as after everything she said was excluded from being considered by the jury she also left a tainted view of the prosecution too. Amongst her claims, she has said that the prosecution have ruined her life and supposedly threatened her with imprisonment and prosecutuon if she didn't take the stand for them as a hostile witness. Probably haven't done themselves many favours then!
He Could Receive The Death Penalty
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If YNW Melly is found to be guilty of his crimes then he could potentially face the death penalty, depending on whether or not the prosecution manage to persuade the jury and the judge that he should be charged with first-degree murder, which is obviously their intention. However, it's more likely that he'd end up facing life imprisonment as Florida is known to be the least likely state to push ahead with the death penalty. This was furthered after Ron DeSantis, a presidential candidate ensured that the jury had to come to an 8-4 split to sentence someone that way.
Melly's Past Isn't Helping Him
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A lot of the time, Juries in court can often be persuaded by a person's history and in the case of YNW Melly, his past is probably not going to be doing him much in terms of favours. Unfortunately, he has a history with run-ins with the police including being a suspect in the death of a sheriff's deputy back in 2017, a year before these two murders. Not only that, but back in 2015 when he was just 16 years old he was arrested for shooting at a group of students which ultimately saw him ending up serving nearly a year in prison!
The Prosecution Messed Up
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Towards the end of June, it turned out that the prosecution had failed to disclose a forensics report to the defence before they introduced it to the court. This meant that the judge (seen above), Judge John Murphy, was forced to make this information excluded from the trial. Essentially, this means that any part of that evidence can longer be involved in the guilty or not guilty discussion between the jury members. Not only has this damaged their case, it doesn't particularly show the prosecution team in the most positive of lights.
Melly's Fingerprints Weren't Found
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During the cross examination of the DNA expert involved in the inveatigation of the YNW murders, the information that could save Melly from being charged appeared to arise as part of the case. The expert did admit that upon investigation of the crime scene, Melly's fingerprints were not found anywhere on the car EXCEPT on the rear passenger seat's door handle. This could be essential in proving that Melly wasn't actually the one at fault for the shooting of the other YNW members. It doesn't mean he's out the clear yet however.
Melly Has Split Personalities
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If you haven't heard YNW Melly's song 'Melly Vs. Melvin' you probably aren't fully aware that he actually suffers from split personality disorder! Supposedly, the real him is Melly, someone he describes as a joker and someone that people will love. In interviews, he has claimed to have up to 6 seperate personalities, one of which being Melvin. Some people have suggested that Melly didn't commit the crime but it was actually the sepearte person within himself, Melvin who he has self-described as 'the one that protects Melly from the wrong people'.
Ballistic Reports
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Supposedly, during the police's reconstruction of the crime scene, it would appear that they have come to the conclusion that the bullets used to kill the other YNW members must have come from the back seat, the exact seat in which YNW Melly is believed to have been sitting. In fact, it's not even that they believe he was sitting here, earlier in the day they were caught getting in to the car where its visible that Melly gets in to that exact specific seat. If this evidence is enough proof for the jury then YNW Melly might be in a little trouble.
Phone Tracking
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Not only did the police manage to reconstruct the crime scene using blood splatter and ballistics techniques, they were also able to pinpoint the locations in which each of the members of the YNW group were at the time of the murders. Using the GPS tracking available on their phones, alongside the use of cell phone tower records there is now no doubt in anyone's mind that they have narrowed down the location in which all of the shots were originally fired. His defence team have a lot of work to do to protect him from going down.
Why Would He Kill His Friends?
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One of the biggest questions to have arisen as part of the case and something the defence has been using to play on the jury is the fact that all of these guys were friends and had been for years. They were all part of the same YNW rap group and prior to the deaths there had never been any signs of discontent amongt one another. So why, the defence keeps asking, would the suddenly turn on their friends? There doesn't seem to be a motive at hand and so the prosecution really needs to nail down some strong evidence to turn the jury!
Melly Knew The G-Shine Bloods
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Right at the end of June, an undercover detective known as Danny Polo appeared on the stands in order give an insight into Melly's known affiliation with the G-Shine Bloods. Within his standing in court, he discussed how Melly was well known for understanding all of the G-Shines gang signs and did so with ease. Not only this, but he had managed to obtain a number of messages sent to YNW Melly's email account regarding all of the individual rules and laws that members have to follow if they want to join the gang.
The Gang Members Often Used Rappers
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During Danny Polo's testimony in court, he also went on to discuss how gangs like the G-Shines were known to regularly use rappers in order to increase their notoriety which they would then return with support for the rappers to improve their careers. Some of the rappers that Polo mentioned during his time on the stand included people of a much higher standing than Melly including well known artists in the charts like Young Thug and French Montana. I can't imagine they were particularly happy to have their names introduced into proceedings.
Melly Asked For A Gun
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Alongside some of the details revealed by the prosecution during their investigation into his communications (they looked at his messages via E-mail, text messages and social media) they also came across some dodgy messages between YNW Melly and his mother. One particular conversation they had resulted in Melly requesting his mom either get him, or help him get his hands on a glock. This obviously doesn't bode well for someone accused of shooting two people to death! The defence claimed that Melly's number was 'shared around' hmmmm.
Was There A Third Party?
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During the early stages of the court hearing, there was mentions, by the prosecution that Melly had enlisted the help of his friend and fellow rapper Fredo Bang to come and help him. In fact, at around 4am hours after the murders were supposedly committed, he sent his location via a pin in a text message requesting Fredo came to pick him up. Fredo Bang was never forced to stand in front of the jury however, he announced that he had no intentions of testifying for either side of the argument throughout the case.
There WAS NO DRIVE-BY SHOOTING
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The most recent revelation within the case and one that seems likely to be one of the biggest pieces of evidence involved in the case is that the main crime scene detective was able to confirm that there was no way, NO WAY, that the shootings could have been taken place from outside the vehicle and that everything points to the fact that the shots were taken from inside the car. One of the main pieces of evidence to support this statemen was the angle in which the bullets entered the bodies of the victims. Essentially completely debunking all of Melly's claims.
The Case Should Be Over This Month
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For those of you watching over this case like a hawk, then you'll probably be happy to hear that the case should be over before the end of this month. Considering the crime took place more than 4 years ago now, it seems like its about time this entire crime was put behind everyone. And if YNW Melly is proven guilty he should be sent to jail for his crimes. If not however, the question remains who else could have killed the YNW members and what would the plan be if that happened to be the case?