Judge John Murphy rejected prosecutor Alixandra Buckelew’s request to keep YNW Melly’s mother away from the rapper’s double murder retrial in Florida. YNW Melly’s mom Jamie King told the Miami Herald she was “bewildered” by the prosecution’s bid to ban her on Wednesday (October 25).
“I understand that the state has a job to do, but to attack me?” she said. “I’m at a loss for words.”
Buckelew asked Judge Murphy to order King to stay 1,000 feet away from the courthouse. The prosecution wanted YNW Melly’s mother barred from the building unless she was testifying in the trial.
Prosecutors claimed King tried to “manipulate or influence potential jurors” by crying in court and near a parking garage. She denied the allegations.
“It’s all frustrating,” King told the Miami Herald. “I’ve been in that courtroom for over four years. I know the rules. I’ve gone through this.”
King’s son YNW Melly awaits his retrial for the 2018 murders of YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser. Jury selection began on October 18.
YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, was originally tried for the murders this past summer. Judge Murphy declared a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict.