Law&Crime Sidebar - Top 6 Witness Moments During YNW Melly’s Double Murder Trial

Episode Date: July 11, 2023

The state is wrapping up its case against rapper YNW Melly, born Jamell Demons, who stands accused of brutally killing two of his friends in cold blood and staging the murders as a drive-by shooting. The Law&Crime Network’s Angenette Levy breaks down the top six moments from the prosecution’s witnesses so far in YNW Melly’s double murder trial.LAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergWriting & Video Editing - Michael DeiningerGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa Bein & Kiera BronsonSUBSCRIBE TO OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Court JunkieThey Walk Among AmericaDevil In The DormThe Disturbing TruthSpeaking FreelyLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Would you give a range as you how far away in Muzzle would have been from six? The range that I would give to that would be 8 to 12 inches. A crime scene reconstruction expert testifies in the YNW Melly trial, along with a victim's mother, and two reluctant witnesses. Did you smoke before you came in here today? I did not.

I have nothing. I should have. One woman deemed a hostile witness. Are you nervous? I feel threatened. These are some of the top moments from witnesses in the YNW Melly trial so far. Welcome to Law and Crime Sidebar podcast. I'm Ann Janette Levy. The state's case is rapid.

up in the double murder trial of YNW Melly. Melly, whose legal name is Jamel Demons, faces the possibility of the death penalty, if convicted, of the 2018 murders of two YNW members, Chris Juvie Thomas and Anthony Sackchaser Williams. A number of witnesses have testified for the state. Others knew Mellie and the victims. Danny Polo was one witness who entered the trial with an air of controversy. He's the state's gang expert and asked to appear in court, wearing a mask. Why you might ask? To protect his identity, Polo said he had a $50,000 bounty on his head because of his work. He spent two days testifying about text messages extracted from Melly's cell phone. Polo read one message where Mellie asked for a gun in a text to his mother

after the murders. Jamie King is sending a text message to her son. Send me your location. I'm in Stewart. I love you so much. He then sends a return the location showing at or about the time of the crime as to who was using and doing that. Okay, love you again from Jamie King. I'm at your gate. I'm going to get the trash. The next response is bring Mariah, which you've honored already hold her testimony that Felicia Holmes, her daughter, Mariah Hamilton, was in a dating relationship with this defendant and that at this time and that there was conversations and that she has identified Mariah as Maria Hamilton. Then there is okay. It continues. He then asks his mother to buy him a gloss ASAP and telling her like go now. So she then responds,

okay, what's wrong? She says, I got your 45. Then his response, I don't. I just. I just don't want no illegal gun. Well, that's not illegal. Polo went through a number of text messages for the jury, essentially translating the content for jurors. He explained why he believed some of them showed Mellie was a gang member, specifically the G-Shine blood set. Do you see the individual identified as Jamal Simmons in this picture? Subject right there. Okay. The other individuals that are in this. photo were you able to identify them yes and who are they this is Jamon Mitchell who's in the email chain sent through the Y&W Melly booking Gmail account

this is Jaquan Burton Qshine or Hercke as saved on the phone this is there Dixon aka Gino saved on the 9807 phone number and the hand signs and symbols that are being shown What are they indicative? So this hand sign right here, that's a big B for blood. This right here, it's G-Shine, same hand sign that Melly, where Mr. Demons is just throwing out. Same hand sign he puts on his music albums,

and commonly uses. It's a specific hand sign, just a G-shine, to be gangster to the Bloods. Well, this is a universal hand sign for Bloods. This is universal hands down for floods. This is specific to gangster killer bloods. One witness who testified during the first week of the trial was the mother of Mellie's girlfriend at the time of the murders, Felicia Holmes. It was clear from the time that Holmes took the stand that she didn't want to be there.

Good morning, Holmes. Good morning. How are you today? Not good. Are you cold? No, I'm just, you know, I just feel comfortable. Are you nervous? I feel threatened.

We'll have more on why Holmes claims she felt threatened in a moment. Assistant State Attorney Christine Bradley called Felicia Holmes for a couple of reasons. First, she wanted Holmes to testify about a call her daughter, Mariah Hamilton, received from Mellie right after the murders. Bradley said Holmes originally told law enforcement in 2018 that Mellie told her daughter that he and his friends had been shot in a drive by. Do you remember speaking with law enforcement in December of 2008? I remember speaking with them, but I don't remember what they look like. I don't remember their names, but I do remember how they just on them. Okay.

So, Ms. Holmes, I'm going to ask you, were you honest and truthful with law enforcement when you spoke with them? I would hope so. I mean, it was 2018. I looked through a lot more than that year, so I'm not sure where my mind is said it was at that time. Did you lie to law enforcement? I would hope not. I don't remember my, I don't remember what I said back. It was like five years ago.

Oh, of course, of course. I understand it's been a long time. Holmes's 2018 statement is important to the prosecution. If Melly made the claim about a drive-by shooting to his girlfriend, it bolsters the state's theory that Mellie and YNW. Bortland made up the story about the drive-by to cover up the fact that Mellie and Bortland murdered Juvian Sack. Bradley was granted permission to treat Holmes as a hostile witness. Holmes didn't hold back and offered an explanation about why her story.

changed. I do remember that they kind of bullied me and threatened my daughter to take her to jail for an accessory. I put back. I do remember that. Yes. And in terms of the statements that you made about what happened, you don't have any recollection. Did you read this statement multiple times? I looked at it and I just didn't call it and I, yeah. And so you indicated, you hoped you were truthful of law enforcement. Yes, I have to ask you to be more definitive. Were you, truthful. I don't remember what I said to them that thing. So if I was to tell you something now, I could be lying. I don't want to lie to understand because you're going to take me to jail. So I'm saying what you say. I can't want you to say anything. I want you to tell the truth.

Okay. That's what I'm doing. Bradley suggested that Mellie was paying off Holmes and her daughter to stay quiet and even showed Holmes's Instagram messages to the jury to impeach her. Have you ever made a statement to the effect of you were told to quit your job and, the defense would take care of us. Of the judge, no. Excuse me. The defense?

No. On cross, the defense made sure the jury knew who made homes feel threatened. When you first took the stand, you said, I feel threatened. Yes, sir, I do. Who do you feel threatened by? In your eye, what the rules? Christine Bradley, the prosecutor. This prosecutor.

Yes, I did. Thank you. Perhaps one of the states. strongest witnesses was Sergeant Christopher Williams. He's a crime scene reconstruction expert. He said he analyzed and measured the SUV, the victims, Mellie, and Bortland were riding in that night and came to the conclusion that the fatal shots had to have come from the backseat of the vehicle. How can you tell the lay and gentleman of this jury that, for example, shot that was marked as H in the here.

Let's go to 6-7-5-5. How can you tell the ladies and gentlemen of the jury that shot H is not the one that wound up in the face of Mr. Thomas? Because Mr. Thomas is already crumpling at this point, and he is actually out of the, he's in the clear, if you will, of site H. How can you tell the lane to join in the jury that site H is not the shot to the back of the head of Anthony Williams? Because site H continues and strikes Anthony Williams in the shoulder. In terms of site K, the one that goes completely across the park.

How can you tell that no one was sitting in a real? driver's side seat when that bullet came through the top? It would have hit their legs. Was there any sign of blood or anything on that seat? There were signs of blood on the seat, yes. Williams went on to say that his measurements showed that the shots came from the rear passenger side seat. This is the driver's side rear compartment area with the driver's side rear compartment area with the driver's side rear passenger door in the open position.

Okay. So going forward to the next image, which is 4876, what are we looking at here? You see that there's a reaction to blood on the door. And so what does that tell you as a shooting reconstructionist? Tells me that the door was closed during the shooting incident inside the vehicle. Okay. And again, 4877. This is the same thing.

So Sergeant Williams, in terms of the stifling and powder tattooing that was present on Mr. Thomas, would you give a range as to how far away and muzzle would have been from the six. The range that I would give to that would be eight to 12 inches. And without the actual firearm that caused that wounds, could you do a recreation? I could not, but again, like I said earlier, this is a unique case where our shooting is confined to a known area

with known confinement measurements, and it can be introduced. One of the most powerful moments of the trial could also have been one of the shortest. The prosecution called Juvie's mom to the stand. Leandro Phillips only testified for a matter of minutes. And are you related to one of the decisions in this case? Yes, I am. How so? His mother.

And who is that? Christopher Thomas. Prosecutors called Phillips for a limited purpose of identifying the people in the surveillance video, leaving the recording studio right before the murders. Pause at 21915. Ms. Phillips, did you see who entered into the occupants who entered into that gray jeep? Mm-hmm. And is that a yes?

Yes. Do you recognize where your son entered that gray jeep? Yes. Which seat, if you can identify for the jury? He got in the back seat. on the right-hand side. Did you recognize the individual that I got into the back seat on the left side, the rare driver's side?

Yes. And who was that individual? Jamel. And Jamel, is that the defendant, Jamel Demons? Yes, ma'am. And do you know him by another name? Mellie. And do you see Mellie, Jamel Deans in the court?

Yes, that man. He's identified by your article of clothing and where he's sitting in the floor. courtroom. He's sitting out of there. Yeah, well, it took Siegel. Very. I think we were for it. Okay. One of the things that's very interesting about the YNW Melly trial is the fact that there are witnesses who simply do not want to testify. Many of them were either with Mellie, Bortland, and the victims that night. Prosecutors said they've tried to track them down and even issued subpoenas, but many simply won't cooperate. It's not unusual in a case like this. People are scared of being labeled a snitch. But last week, when the trial was in recess, one witness who was at the recording studio that

night actually appeared for a deposition, fearing he would be arrested if he didn't. Travion Glass was at the recording studio and got into a red car at the same time Mellie, Bortland, Juvian SAC left in a gray SUV. And was everybody in that red car had, to Mellie's house? It's good best of my knowledge. Okay. And what about the Jeep? Where was your understanding that that Jeep was heading?

The Grey Jeep? Same spot. So both cars left the studio with the intention of heading to what you identify as Mellie's house. Great. But the state says that didn't happen. At one point along the ride, the Jeep went in another direction. The red car arrived at the gate at Mellie's complex, but the Grey Jeep didn't travel. didn't travel with them. Travion Glass said he went to sleep and was awakened to the news that

Juvie and Sack were dead. He went to the hospital and then to Fredo Bangs's house, Bangs picked up Melly after the homicides. And who was at Frito's house when you first got there? Everybody else was in the house. Okay. And it's because I don't know who everybody was or is. Can you please specify? Kobe, Melly. I'm the only people I can remember. Okay. Was that the first time you saw Mellie after you guys left the studio?

Yeah. Was Mellie wearing the same clothes or different clothes than when you saw him at the studio? It was a little bit, no, he wasn't. Not he wasn't. He wasn't wearing the same clothes. Okay. Do you recall what he was wearing? Just had on some shorts.

Now this is a big moment for the state. Trevion Glass is basically saying that Melly was wearing different clothes than the clothes he had on at the recording studio. So sometime that night, he changed. You never see Melly with a gun. Objection, Your Honor. Staying. Look, this is your last question. Have you ever seen Mali with a gun?

Objection, Your Honor. Sustaining, Your Honor. Have you ever seen the track with it? Possibly. It is. Maybe. Maybe. Okay.

You don't know of any friction between Melly and Anthony Davis at any time. Anthony Williams at any time? I know. And you don't know of any friction between Melly and Christopher Thomas at a time? And you don't know of any friction that occurred at the studio that night that would cause anybody to get murdered? The question, Your Honor, cost you didn't see any friction at the studio that night of any magnitude? I did it. You did?

I did it. Oh, you did. Um, anyways, with respect to your daily, uh, marijuana regimen, did you smoke before you came here today? I did not. Okay. I should have. The lead detective in the murder case, Mark Moretti, took the stand and revealed what he did not find in the investigation. Were any. person satchels found in that regie? No, ma'am. Specifically, the beige one is pictured at 2.1840?

No, ma'am. We do not recover that. Continuing forward to 21905, was a black satchel recovered? No, ma'am. Specifically, the one that is seen in the individual in the black and white jacket. Correct. Did Mr. Henry have possession of either of those saddles or man purses at the hospital? No, man. That's a pretty big moment for the state, because basically, Bortland told the police that they left the recording studio. They were involved in a drive-by, and then he took his friends to the hospital. But those man-purses were never recovered from the vehicle. That's it for this edition of Law and Crime Sidebar Podcast.

You can listen to and download Sidebar on Apple, Spotify, Google, and wherever else you get your podcast, and of course you can always watch it on Law and Crimes YouTube channel. I'm Annionette Levy, and we will see you next time. You can binge all episodes of this Law and Crime series, ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery. app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.