Law&Crime Sidebar - Top 6 YNW Melly Double Murder Case Developments Leading into Next Trial

Episode Date: October 17, 2023

YNW Melly, the rapper who stands accused of killing his two friends and staging their deaths as a drive-by shooting, faces trial for a second time after his first double murder trial resulted in a deadlocked jury. The Law&Crime Network’s Angenette Levy breaks down the top six latest developments in the double murder case leading up to Melly’s next trial.HOSTS:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberAngenette Levy: https://twitter.com/Angenette5LAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergVideo Editing - Michael DeiningerScript Writing - Savannah WilliamsonGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&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 Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. We're not there to make friends. We're there to try the case, put the state on their heels, and make sure that they can prove the case against your client. Rapper Y NW. Melly has a new lawyer and new criminal charges as he faces a retrial for the murder of two of his friends. Those are two of the top six developments since the jury deadlocked in the trial of Jamel Demons. Welcome to Law and Crime Sidebar podcast. I'm Anjanette Levy. Jury selection was supposed to be well underway in the retrial of Jamel Demons, but that has been delayed amid accusations from the defense that the lead prosecutor may have tried to cover up Detective Mark Moretti asking another officer to lie when he seized a cell phone

that was owned by Mellie's mom. The judge has removed the lead prosecutor Christine Bradley from the case because she may be called to testify as a witness about a comment in the retrial. We'll go into more about that later. But first, just to bring you up to speed on where things stand now, Demons, who we just call Mellie because that's how the public knows him, faces two counts of first-degree murder for the October 26th, 2018 shooting deaths of two men that he called his best friends. Anthony YNW. Sack Chaser Williams and Christopher YNW Juvie Thomas were shot to death in an SUV driven by Cortland Henry who went by YNW. Bortland, Sack, Juvie, and Mellie were seen leaving a recording studio earlier that morning. Surveillance cameras recorded the four

getting into a Jeep. Less than two hours later, Henry pulled up to a hospital emergency room. friends were dead inside the SUV. Melly was charged with first-degree murder the following year. Portland was charged with being an accomplice. The difference? The state is seeking the death penalty against Mellie because they say he was the shooter. Mellie, of course, denies this. Under Florida law, Mellie could face the death penalty under a new lower threshold of an eight to four vote if he's convicted. His first trial ended in a hung jury last summer. Since that first trial, Melly has changed up his legal team just slightly. This man, Jamie Benjamin, is now Mellie's lead attorney. Mellie's defense team has always been aggressive, but they seem more so under Benjamin's

leadership. In the last two weeks, Benjamin did something you don't often see attorneys do. He called out Judge Murphy, basically saying he didn't look interested in hearing their arguments. wide in front of a career prosecutor that's brought to the attention of the elected official. They can't hide under, oh, we don't review every grade violation. This went all the way to the top of their office the day it happened, and they did nothing, I believe. And I believe that violates that statute. And I believe that in and of itself, based on one person's sworn testimony, is probable

problem. But Your Honor, I believe based on your body language, with your arms crossed and a scow on your face looking at us like we did something wrong should be much more. I think this is really serious. This is so serious. That's just a small sample of Jamie Benjamin in action and what we can expect at the retrial. I spoke with one of Mellie's former attorneys, Bradford Cohen, about Jamie Benjamin's style. I'm friends with Jamie Benjamin. I've known him for years and years and years. He is a fixture in the Broward County community for criminal defense lawyers. Jamie is always an aggressive attorney.

He understands the appellate issues that can be raised. He understands how those appellate issues should be raised. He's very cognizant of the appellate issues. So he is always setting up the case just in case that an appeal would come back and the appeal would be successful. So Jamie's a very smart lawyer. He's an aggressive lawyer. I think that he's the right lawyer for this case. I was on this case very early on. The first maybe four to six months of this case, I was the attorney, the lead attorney on the Melly case. And Mellie wanted to go in a different direction, which I never ever question clients that want different attorneys. But Jamie and I have a very similar type of way, I guess, way, of doing a case. And that is, we're not there to make friends. We're there to try the case,

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Forthepeople.com slash law and crime or by dialing Pound Law, that's Pound 529 on your phone. The next development is one that really wasn't unexpected. Judge Murphy denied Mellie's request for bail after the mistrial. His attorneys had asked Judge Murphy to release him since he's been in jail since 2019 and he has not been convicted of these murders. That's a long time to be sitting in jail. COVID, of course, was to blame in part, along with delays over arguments

pertaining to the death penalty associated with this case. Mellie's attorneys had argued that he surrendered voluntarily when he was charged with the murders, and they pointed out that his co-defendant, Cortland Henry, was out on bail. But Judge Murphy ruled Mellie will stay put and he will remain held without bail, saying the proof of guilt is evident.

This is, of course, a double homicide case, so a judge granting any type of bail other than a very high amount would be unlikely. Now, in between the mistrial and the retrial, Mellie got into more legal trouble. Prosecutors charged Mellie with witness tampering. Court documents state that Detective Danny Polo, you'll remember him from the first trial, he had that mask on for part of his testimony because he investigates gangs. Polo was listening to James Howard's jail calls from the Broward County Jail where Mellie is housed. Prosecutors say Polo heard Howard talking about passing messages from Mellie. Then prosecutors said they heard Terrence Mathis's jail calls and that Mathis was talking to Y&W. Bortland about keeping Mellie's ex-girlfriend

Mariah Hamilton from showing up to court to testify. So not only was Mellie charged with witness tampering, so was Bortland. The witness tampering charges mean that Bortland, who had been free on bail is now being held in jail without bail just like Mellie. His trial is now scheduled to begin in January. So why would Mellie or Bortland not want Mariah Hamilton to testify? Prosecutors say she has crucial information to provide about the night Sack and Juvie were murdered. In fact, her mother, Felicia Holmes, had told Bortland on Instagram a couple of years ago that Mellie confessed to the murders to Mariah. So prosecutors are asking Judge Murphy to allow them to tell the jury about Mariah Hamilton's statement to police in 2019.

In that statement, Mariah told lead detective Mark Moretti that Melly face-timed her after the murders and said that Sack and Juvie were killed in a drive-by shooting. A warrant was out for Mariah's arrest during the first trial. She appeared on sidebar recently. Because I was his girlfriend at the time. So they thought that I knew more than what I was telling them that I knew, which I didn't. So they were just harassing me being that I was his ex-girlfriend, work girlfriend at the time. And if you watched the first trial, you probably remember Mariah Hamilton's mother, Felicia Holmes. She was probably the most memorable witness of the trial. Prosecutor Christine Bradley treated her as a hostile witness. Good morning,

how are you today? Not good. Are you cold? No, I'm just, you know, I just feel, I don't feel comfortable. Are you nervous? I feel threatened. Well, now prosecutors say Holmes is refusing to testify in the retrial. So they want to use her testimony from the first trial in this second trial. That is allowed sometimes when a judge determines that a witness is unavailable. And Felicia Holmes hopped in on the interview of her daughter on sidebar.

Take a look. A lot of anger with me because of everything me and my daughter have been through. what Christine Bradley's tried to put us through. I felt like we're getting persecuted more than the defendants. Now, there are two reasons why Felicia Holmes's and Mariah Hamilton's testimony is so important to the state. First, it destroys the claim by Mellie's defense that he wasn't in the Jeep when Sack and Juvie were shot. Mariah Hamilton told police in 2019 that her boyfriend Mellie facet timed her, as I mentioned, in the early morning hours of October 26 and that he appeared to be hiding and that he claimed

that they had been shot at in a drive-by shooting. According to a motion filed by prosecutors, Jamie King paid Mariah Hamilton $1,620 for her vehicle. Finally, one of the biggest developments in the case, Judge Murphy removed lead prosecutor Christine Bradley from the case. This came after the defense said she's a possible witness to possible misconduct. by lead detective Mark Moretti. The defense said Moretti seized the cell phone that belonged to Mellie's mom, Jamie King, at the prosecutor's office, and that he wasn't in his jurisdiction. And this exchange happened.

Mr. Tract, and Ms. King leave? They leave the room. Okay. What happens then? Once they leave the room, Deputy Gorell, who I didn't know, I didn't know his name. He came into the room. And Detective Moretti looked at him and said, you need to... Do you say?

I don't believe it. Deputy Detective Moretti said to Detective Moretti said to Deputy Morrell you need to say you were here when I served that search warrant and it was kind of like an awkward moment

someone described it just kind of getting punched twice in the head so there's a search warrant that gets served and I'm like what's going on and then the next thing he's asking this deputy to lie for him and again I'm like this isn't like I'm in the twilight

and something like, this can't really be happening. Deputy Gorell didn't say anything of any substance. I think he said, is there anything I'm needed for anymore, or something like that? I don't remember if he said anything at all. It was just a very awkward moment after Detective Moretti said that to him. And you specifically remember what was said? I vividly remember what I said, yes. So after that was said and after Guerrelle leaves, do you say anything to the record?

No. don't say anything to Marty. I leave the room. I'm done with a statement. As far as I'm concerned, I'm done investigating this case. Why? Because I don't work with detectives that solicit lies. Okay. Where did you do that? I reported it immediately on that day. The defense says this is what's called a Brady violation. Prosecutors are required to turn over information to the defense that may help a person who is charged with a crime that's called Brady material. Mellie's defense questioned Christine Bradley about this so-called joke that was disclosed to the defense about Moretti asking a deputy to say he was in the room when he seized the cell phone.

When you spoke to Detective Barrett, and we're talking about the conversation that you actually finally had with him prior to the first trial. Yes. Did you let him know that there were allegations made by Ms. Lutrauss and what they were? Yes, because I asked him if there was any validity to it. I asked him if there was any validity, and that was his response. And his response is what you just had told us about. That is correct. Okay.

Did you speak to Ms. Lutroes about him? No. But based upon Detective Marelli's representation to you, you've decided not to file grading notice. Is that fair statement? No. Based on Detective Moretti's statement, Detective or Deputy Gorell's report

that also denied any such thing has had. Their reports don't jive them. Didn't, doesn't Detective Moretti say it was a joke and Detective Gorell say didn't occur? Deputy Gorell says he was told he was not needed in his report. Detective Moretti doesn't mention anything about PSO assisting. So you decided not to send out a Brady notice disregarding what a fellow prosecutor said that she heard

and took the word of the deputies. Is that the person? I'm just, Your Honor, now. Now, the defense clearly did not want Christine Bradley on this case anymore, and Judge Murphy removed her, since she could be called as a witness to question Moretti's tactics. Judge Murphy stopped short as saying Bradley did something wrong. I asked Mellie's former attorney about the judge taking this step of removing Bradley. You know, it is an extreme measure that isn't taken in a lot of cases.

I probably have thought of, and I was thinking of it the other day, I might know one other case where a prosecutor, a lead prosecutor was taking off the case, and that was for a similar issue of misconduct, alleged misconduct. But the judge decided to take her off because she could be a witness, and that witness, what she would testify to, essentially, is that Detective Moretti was not forthcoming

in a discussion that he had with another, other BSO, well, a BSO detective, he's from Miramar, but a BSO detective about whether or not he was present in a room when he was serving a warrant on Jamie King, which is Mellie's mom. And, you know, really, it's one of those cases where the cover up is worse than the crime. You know, the cover up here was several issues. And when something like this comes up, there's a thing called a Brady notice. And that Brady notice is essentially a notice putting the defense on notice that an issue arose where there might be either a one of the witnesses, they have a problem with a case. They have a problem with their veracity for truthfulness that they have to disclose, or there's some exculpatory material that they have to disclose, that they haven't disclosed previously.

In this case, there were three separate Brady notices that. that went out. First Brady notice from the lead prosecutor, Ms. Bradley, that described the scenario about how Moretti might have asked a detective from BSO a question that, to implicate his veracity for truthfulness. I guess that's the easiest way to put it. Then a second notice went out correcting the first notice, and then a third notice went out correcting the first notice, and then a third notice went out correcting the second notice saying the first notice was correct. It's just unbelievable. It really is, you know, what the problem is, it speaks very poorly about the Broward State Attorney's Office that the control over these type of cases is really sedesical

in this type of scenario. So I think it's a really bad sign for the state. I think that a new prosecutor is going to have to get up to speed fairly quickly on this case. And it's a difficult case to put together to begin with. And now a brand new prosecutor is going to be coming on. I think that's a very tough job for the new prosecutor. Alexandra Buckaloo will now lead the prosecution team. Buckaloo was also part of the team that prosecuted Michael Boatwright and others for the murder of XXX and Tashione earlier this year.

Jury selection begins Wednesday morning. Are you looking for another true crime podcast? Well, if you haven't already, check out one of the best there is. That's the True Crime Garage podcast. True Crime Garage is your next binge listen. Each week, the garage guys cover a new case featuring missing persons cases, cold cases, solved stories, and serial killer profiles. Search and listen to True Crime Garage on Apple, Spotify, and all of the best podcast

listening apps. For more info, go to truecrime garage.com. So there you have it. Those are the top six developments in Melly's case since the mistrial. 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 podcasts. And of course, you can always watch it on Law and Crimes YouTube channel. Just hit the subscribe button. I'm Janette Levy, and we will see you next time. You can binge all episodes of this long crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.