VIDEO: Judge has declared YNW Melly’s murder case a mistrial after jury is unable to make a unanimous decision

Judge has declared YNW Melly’s murder case a mistrial after jury is unable to make a unanimous decision.

After 19 days of hearing arguments, Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy declared a mistrial on Saturday after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision regarding YNW Melly’s double murder accusations.

Prosecutors accused Jamel “Melly” Demons of fatally shooting Christopher “Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “Sakchaser” Williams in a Jeep Compass that Cortland “Bortland” Henry, a co-defendant who is awaiting trial, was driving on the early morning of Oct. 26, 2018, in Broward County.

Henry reported there was a drive-by shooting and Thomas and Williams were the victims. The prosecution accused Demons of killing Thomas and Williams and Henry of helping him to cover it up. The defense said Demons had nothing to do with the shooting.

The state will have to decide whether to retry the case. If they do, the new trial will consist of an entirely new jury. If that does happen and he’s eventually found guilty, Melly, real name Jamel Demons, could face life in prison. The state has 90 days to announce its intention to retry the case. If they don’t, Melly’s team will request to have the charges dropped.

Nearly two hours later, the jury requested to watch the surveillance video that the prosecution displayed during testimony saying that it showed the moving Jeep Compass.

Surveillance videos show Thomas, 19, and Williams, 21, were last seen alive when they got into the Jeep Compass with Demons and Henry at the New Era Recording Studio at 805 NE 4 Ave., at about 3:20 a.m., and Henry showed up with both victims at about 4:35 a.m., at the Memorial Hospital Miramar, at 1701 SW 172 Ave., according to prosecutors and detectives. 

Word that the jury was having difficulty coming to an agreement on whether or not Melly was guilty came on Friday when the jury’s foreperson indicated just that. “Everyone is stuck on which side they have chosen,” the foreperson wrote on Friday, Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy said, per WPLG.

The mistrial announcement arrived after 19 days of arguments and a little over 14 hours of deliberation from the jury. According to Law & Crime Network’s Cathy Russon, a status hearing has been set for Friday, July 28.

What happens now that a mistrial has been declared in the case?

VIDEO HERE