South Florida rapper YNW Melly was in court for the second time Friday afternoon, as his ex-girlfriend, a key witness in his upcoming double murder retrial, hoped to convince a judge that she should be allowed out of jail.
South Florida rapper YNW Melly was in court for the second time Friday afternoon, as his ex-girlfriend, a key witness in his upcoming double murder retrial, hoped to convince a judge that she should be allowed out of jail.
YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is accused of shooting and killing his friends, Christopher Thomas Jr. and Anthony Williams, in 2018 in Miramar. His first trial ended in a mistrial in 2023.
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Meanwhile, Melly's ex-girlfriend, Mariah Hamilton, spent her twelfth day in Broward County Jail for civil contempt – a rare case where someone who isn’t charged with a crime can, by law, be held in jail.
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When Hamilton was a no-show at YNW Melly’s double murder trial in 2023, she violated a judge’s order stating she needed to take the stand at trial. But it wasn’t until she left the country that law enforcement became aware of the warrant for her arrest.
According to court documents, Hamilton agreed to sign a written promise that she would appear for all future court dates and stay in touch with her attorney and prosecutors.
On Friday, Judge Martin S. Fein ruled that she could leave jail, but would have to wear an ankle monitor.
"Miss Hamilton, you've got to show up. If someone subpoenas you for a deposition, or a hearing, or a trial, whether that's the state or whether that's the defense, you've just gotta answer the subpoena," Fein said.
Her defense attorney tried to argue that there should be no limits on her freedom, but Fein ruled with the state based on Florida statute 902.15.
"What makes it unique here is that [Florida statute] 902.15 allows this procedure only in a case that is punishable by life or the death penalty, and that happens to be the case that we're involved with here," Fein said. "So I'm gonna follow what the statute says."
In late 2023, after the rapper's trial ended in a mistrial, Broward Sheriff’s detectives charged him and Cortlen Henry, his alleged accomplice in the murders, with witness tampering when prosecutors said the two arranged to have a key witness not testify.
YNW Melly was in court earlier Friday on a motion for an emergency hearing. In that hearing, his defense sparred with Judge Martin S. Fein over a Broward Sheriff's Office investigation into his lead attorney.
