YNW Melly is seeking immediate release from prison in a new lawsuit, in which he accuses the Broward Sheriff’s Office of cruel treatment and violating his constitutional rights.
YNW Melly is seeking immediate release from prison in a new lawsuit, in which he accuses the Broward Sheriff's Office of cruel treatment and violating his constitutional rights.
Attorney Michael Pizzi Jr. held a news conference along with Demons' mother and brother on Monday to discuss the lawsuit.
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The rapper, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is accused of murdering two of his childhood friends, Chris “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, in 2018 after a late-night recording session by making it look like a drive-by shooting.
The lawsuit, filed by Pizzi Jr. on Saturday, alleges that Demons is being "illegally detained under conditions that violate the First, Fifth, Sixth, Eight and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution."
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Demons has not been able to see or speak with any family in several years and has been experiencing 'debilitating isolation', the suit claims.
"They're trying to break him down and get a result that they cannot get in the court system," Pizzi Jr. argued Monday.
"They are trying to wear him down mentally by not letting him even talk or visit with his mother or his brother."
His team also claimed BSO created unreasonable restrictions and interfered with the ability of his attorneys to interact with him.
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Pizzi Jr. on Monday said that he has not been able to sit down with Demons without a glass between them or show him documents in a private conversation.
"His cruel treatment by the Broward Detention authorities warrants his immediate release from pretrial detention since the detaining authorities have shown such a callous disregard for his human dignity Right to Counsel," the lawsuit states.
Demons' mother, Jamie King, briefly spoke at the news conference on Monday and took a moment to address her son directly.
"Jamell, if you watch this today, I just want you to know that I love you. I'm going to continue fighting for you and I just want to know that you're okay," King said. "I just want to hear your voice and see your face. And, I'm going to get you home."
She expressed that she worries about her son's well-being daily.
"It's heartbreaking. Some days I don't know if he's alive in there. I don't know if something's happened to him in there," King explained. "I have no communication whatsoever."
Demons' brother also took a moment to send a message to him.
"We're working endless nights and endless days to get your home and at least just get your phone calls back," his brother said. "I miss you very much."
Demons was in court in Broward County back in July, where a judge set a date for his double murder retrial, months after his retrial was placed on hold.
Judge Martin Fein set a new trial date of September 10, 2025. In terms of the more recent tampering case, he set a pretrial meeting for December 5, 2024.
The first double murder trial against Melly ended in a mistrial last summer.
