Rapper YNW Melly is not yet free from death penalty.
Earlier this week, a Florida judge removed the death penalty option in YNW Melly's ongoing murder case. It was ruled after YNW Melly and his attorneys failed to receive proper notice.
The judge sided with the rapper's party and said that the error was not only about a paperwork tenchicality.
"The State's discretion to seek the death penalty does not absolve it of its duty to strictly comply with the notice requirements. 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," Judge Siegel said.
But the argument is still not over as the trial has been postponed again due to an unresolved issue.
On Wednesday, the prosecutors told Judge Andrew Siegel that the ruling was incorrect and asked him to put the option back on the table.
According to Sun Sentinel and Billboard, the trial would be halted until a higher court gives clarification on the death penalty issue.
"It is clear that the filing of a superseding indictment did not begin a new case, and that this is the same criminal episode," the prosecutors demanded.
Currently, a status conference has been scheduled for July 21. Still, it remains unknown whether Judge Siegel would issue an updated ruling then.
The order caused another delay for the rapper, who has been in jail since 2019 while waiting for a trial.
What Did Rapper YNW Melly Do?
YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Maurice Demons, was first arrested three years ago alongside his associate, Cortlen "YNW Bortlen" Henry.
As reported by Pitchfork, the rappers killed two of their friends and staged the crime scene to make it look like it was a drive-by shooting. They fatally shot 20-year-old Chris "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr. and 21-year-old Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams, in October 2018.
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Florida police detailed that the two victims were rushed to the Memorial Hospital Miramar with multiple gunshot wounds. YNW Melly, at that time, mourned online and claimed that the killers "want to see [him] break down and stop or in jail or a box" due to their jealousy.
It took them months before arresting the rapper, although he maintained his innocence on an Instagram post. He also pleaded not guilty a month later.
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