Who is in YNW Melly's circle? 6 names you might hear in court during the rapper's retrial

YNW Melly is a rapper at the center of a double murder trial that took South Florida by storm in 2023.

From evidence suppression to a recused prosecutor to a hung jury, the trial has been full of twists and turns since Melly's arrest in 2019 — and it's not over yet.

YNW Melly's first trial ended last July in a mistrial and the state decided to retry him on both first-degree murder charges.

The retrial is currently on hold after the state filed an appeal to a judge’s order to suppress evidence. The evidence involves a promotional video made about Melly’s life that prosecutors want to show jurors. The double murder retrial is paused while the appeal goes through the appellate courts.

Before the rapper is retried, here's a look at the key names you may hear in court.

Christopher Thomas and Anthony Williams

YNW Melly is charged with two counts of murder for the shooting deaths of his two childhood friends who rapped under the names YNW Juvy and YNW SakChaser.

The men, whose real names are Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy) and Anthony Williams (YNW SakChaser), were allegedly gunned down by Melly in 2018. They were 19 and 21 years old, respectively.

Though Williams' mother was too emotional to speak, Thomas' mother spoke out during Melly's trial last summer.

“My firstborn,” said Leondra Phillips about her son. “He was everything to us. And today we (are) here for his trial and it’s sad, you know, it’s hurtful.”

Cortlen Henry

Cortlen Henry is another member of Melly's circle — and also his alleged accomplice.

Prosecutors say Henry was the driver of the car that all members of YNW were in during the deadly shooting.

Henry is also facing murder charges tied to the original case and, like Melly, was also accused of witness tampering.

Jamie King

Jamie Demons-King is the mother of YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons.

At age 14, King became pregnant and gave birth to YNW Melly while she was a freshman in high school.

Melly was raised by his grandmother in an impoverished part of a small Florida town called Gifford.

Demons-King attended almost every day of Melly’s first trial and is regularly at hearings ahead of his retrial.

Mariah Hamilton and Felicia Holmes

Mariah Hamilton is YNW Melly’s ex-girlfriend from 2018. Her mother, Felicia Holmes, filed a motion in January 2024 asking the judge to remove her ankle monitor.

According to court documents, an electronic monitor was placed on Holmes' ankle to ensure her appearance as a witness at retrial.

Her attorney says Holmes invoked her constitutional right against self-incrimination and will not testify at Melly’s second double murder trial. Hamilton is also not scheduled to testify.

The judge has not ruled on the motion requesting the ankle monitor be removed.