FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Prosecutors will not be allowed to use crucial information gathered from the early stages of the murder case against rapper Jamell “YNW Melly” Demons, according to a ruling issued Wednesday by the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

It wasn’t immediately clear which pieces of evidence would be excluded, but the appeals court upheld a ruling issued in 2023 by Broward Circuit Judge John J. Murphy, who presided over the first trial that ended in a hung jury. In that ruling, Murphy decided that investigators were overly broad in their warrants for digital information from Melly’s e-mail and social media accounts.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the ruling would affect the case, but defense lawyers considered the ruling a significant victory.

“They recognized that the police way overstepped what the constitution allows in the search for evidence,” said Carrey Haughwout, who took over Melly’s defense last month after his previous legal team stepped aside due to a potential conflict of interest. Haughwout said police engaged in illegal search and seizure and said she was grateful the court was protecting her client’s constitutional rights.

Melly is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of his childhood friends Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams seven years ago. Prosecutors say Melly shot his fellow rappers in Miramar after a late-night recording session in Fort Lauderdale.

The computer and phone evidence that was presented at the first trial played a large role in establishing the timeline of where Melly was, when he was there, and whether he was aware of the fate that had befallen his friends. Prosecutors say Melly shot them. Defense lawyers say he had left the vehicle before the shooting took place.

Co-defendant Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry pleaded no contest last month to one count of accessory after the fact, in essence admitting that prosecutors would have been able to convict him of making it look like Thomas and Williams had been the victims of a drive-by shooter even though evidence showed they were killed by someone traveling in the same vehicle in which they were riding.

Melly’s retrial isn’t scheduled to begin until 2027 in front of Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fein, who inherited the case after Murphy retired.

Prosecutors declined to comment on the appeals court ruling, citing a standard policy not to discuss pending cases outside court.

It was not clear Wednesday whether the appeals court ruling would affect Melly’s repeated attempts to secure bond as he awaits trial. He has been in custody since his arrest in 2019.

Before his arrest, Melly was a rising star in the rap genre, with hit singles including Suicidal, City Girls and Murder on My Mind.

________

©2025 South Florida Sun Sentinel. Visit at sun-sentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.