YNW Melly's legal battle continues, and earlier today, he secured a major legal win. Bryson "Boom" Paul reports that the state has chosen to drop witness tampering charges against the 26-year-old. The news was confirmed during a status hearing.
The charges included witness tampering, directing the activities of a criminal gang, criminal solicitation to commit murder, and conspiracy to tamper with a witness on a capital case. They stemmed from allegations that Melly convinced his girlfriend not to participate in his murder trial. The decision was made just one day before jury selection was set to begin.
“As his newly retained legal team, it became immediately apparent to us that no crimes had occurred. Unfortunately, for 652 days while these charges were pending, the state did not reach the same conclusion until the cusp of trial,” his lawyers told Rolling Stone. “We now look forward to seeking Mr. Demons’ release from custody, where he has been held under extraordinarily restrictive conditions for far too long based on premises the state has now abandoned. His release will allow him to fully and meaningfully participate in preparing his defense in the forthcoming proceedings, which we intend to litigate vigorously.”
When Is YNW Melly's Retrial?
News of the rapper's latest court victory comes just a few weeks after his attorneys proposed multiple motions. One of their requests was that his murder charges be hidden from the jury in his witness tampering case. They argued that revealing the charges would be "highly prejudicial and of limited… value."
Another motion asked that the use of Melly's lyrics be prohibited at trial. "None of the lyrics were written during the time the alleged crimes of witness tampering occurred. The lyrics are irrelevant to Demons’ innocence or guilt," the motion reads.
Melly's double murder retrial is scheduled to begin in January of 2027. He's accused of fatally shooting two of his friends, YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser, back in 2018.
