YNW Melly must remain in jail as he awaits his retrial in a double murder case. Judge John Murphy denied the 24-year-old rapper’s request for bond in a Florida court on Friday (September 22).
Attorneys for YNW Melly filed a motion for a bond hearing in August. Judge Murphy heard their arguments on September 15, but he deferred his decision to a later date. The judge made his ruling a week later.
“After careful consideration, this Court finds that the State has met its burden of demonstrating that the proof of guilt is evident and the presumption of guilt is great,” a court order read, per NBC Miami. “The jurors’ inability to reach a unanimous verdict does not alter the nation or weight of the evidence of Defendant’s guilt.”
Prosecutors accuse YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, of killing his friends YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser in 2018. The double murder case originally went to trial in June, but jurors were unable to reach a verdict after hearing weeks of testimony.
Judge Murphy declared a mistrial in July. Jury selection for YNW Melly’s retrial is scheduled to begin in October.
YNW Melly has remained in jail since his 2019 arrest. He maintains his innocence.