Yesterday (September 9), Cortlen "YNW Bortlen" Henry accepted a plea deal just a day before jury selection in his double murder trial was scheduled to begin. He, along with Florida rapper YNW Melly, was accused of murder his two associates YNW Juvy and YNW SakChaser back in 2018.
Bortlen was facing two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of accessory after the fact. He was also facing charges related to a 2023 witness tampering case. He pleaded no contest to the accessory after the fact charges and two charges in the witness tampering case. As a result, the first-degree murder charges were dropped, and he's no longer at risk of serving a life sentence.
He'll serve ten years in prison and six years of probation. As part of the deal, he's also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the future. An attorney for YNW Juvy's family, John M. Phillips, took to Instagram last night to share a statement about the plea deal.
YNW Melly Retrial
"Justice for Juvy! Great day today in the YNW Melly double murder case," it begins. "YNW Bortlen was set to go to trial this week and took a plea deal to not only accessory after the fact but witness tampering. He was already adjudicated guilty by the judge and will be sentenced to 10 years minus time served or gain time, followed by 6 years probation. He is also giving a proffer, which means he will speak to the State. We similtaneously requested his deposition in the civil case."
As for Melly, his first trial began in June of 2023, but was declared a mistrial because the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. His retrial has been rescheduled various times, and currently, it's expected to begin in January of 2027. He's facing two counts of first-degree murder and resides at Broward County Jail.
