South Florida rapper YNW Melly was back in court Friday after his defense attorneys filed a motion to recuse the Broward County State Attorney’s Office from his double murder case.
The rapper, whose real name is Jamell Demons, was attending the hearing before Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy.
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In the motion, the defense argues prosecutors failed to disclose information about the lead investigator from Miramar Police on the case, Det. Mark Moretti.
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The motion claims Moretti used "excessive force" when he allegedly unlawfuly took the phone of Jamie King, Demons' mother.
According to the motion, Moretti "solicited another officer, that being a BSO Deputy, to lie for him and to state that the Deputy was present when Detective Moretti served a search warrant on Ms. King."
They allege that an Assistant State Attorney in the State Attorney’s office witnessed the solicitation and "let her superiors know of Detective Moretti’s willingness to fabricate testimony."
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The defense goes on to allege that the prosecutor in the case, Kristine Bradley, "had her own conversations with Detective Moretti as to soliciting a BSO deputy to lie." They say therefore she is a fact witness to Moretti’s credibility and that creates a conflict because she is representing the State in Demons' double murder trial.
At Friday's hearing, the defense accused Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor, Bradley, and others of obstruction of justice and attempted witness tampering.
Judge Murphy called the allegations "serious charges."
The defense called a witness, Michelle Boutros, a career prosecutor with the Broward State Attorney's Office. Boutros testified she was present when Moretti executed a search warrant on Demons' mother and took her cell phone from her.
Boutros said there was no Broward deputy present in the room when that happened, but one walked in afterward. She said Moretti then asked the deputy to say he had been in the room when Moretti took the phone.
"He's asking this deputy to lie for him," Boutros said. She said she felt like she was in the "Twilight Zone," and reported it to her superior in at the Broward State Attorney's Office that same day.
The defense argued prosecutors failed to disclose the matter. The defense further alleged Bradley "had her own conversations with Detective Moretti as to soliciting a BSO deputy to lie."
This motion went in front of the judge 72 hours before the start of Demons' second double murder trial for the October 2018 killings of two childhood friends, Christopher Thomas and Anthony Williams, who were part of the YNW rapper collective.
Demons, Williams and Thomas were riding in a Jeep driven by Cortlen Henry, known as YNW Bortlen, after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale when Demons fatally shot Williams and Thomas, prosecutors said. Authorities said Demons and Henry staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting.
Demons is facing a retrial, with jury selection expected to begin next week, after his initial trial ended in a mistrial back in July.
On Wednesday, it was learned Demons and Henry were charged with witness tampering after authorities said they worked to ensure a key witness didn't testify at his first murder trial.
Prosecutors said in documents released late Wednesday that Melly is with the Bloods street gang. They say he used phone calls made by other jail inmates at his request and letters passed between them to get messages to Blood members on the streets. Those members successfully made sure a the key witness didn't testify, prosecutors say.
James Benjamin, Melly's attorney, told The Associated Press the tampering charges "are clearly retaliation" after he and law partner Daniel Aaronson accused Broward County State Attorney Harold Pryor "and his underlings" of a coverup.
Demons has pleaded not guilty and faces a possible death sentence if convicted. Henry is facing a separate trial. Demons has remained behind bars since his arrest in 2019, while Henry had been released on bond before his arrest on the witness tampering charge.
