YNW Melly

YNW Melly's ex held in jail for civil contempt after violating judge order to testify

Mariah Hamilton violated a judge’s order stating she needed to take the stand at YNW Melly's murder trial

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YNW Melly’s ex-girlfriend is in the 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. NBC6’s Marissa Bagg reports

YNW Melly’s ex-girlfriend is in the 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.

Federal authorities arrested Mariah Hamilton, 24, Monday at Miami International Airport when she flew back from a three-day vacation in El Salvador. 

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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. 

YNW Melly’s real name is Jamell Demons. He is accused of shooting and killing his friends, Christopher Thomas Jr. and Anthony Williams, in 2018 in Miramar.

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Prosecutors say Hamilton’s testimony “vitally bears on the case and cannot be obtained from any other available witness.”

According to court documents, Hamilton agreed to “sign a written promise that she will appear for all future court dates and maintain contact with her attorney and prosecutor to ensure her compliance.”

Her attorney argued in a court filing that keeping her in jail for an indeterminate length of time is punitive.

In late 2023, after Demon’s trial ended in a mistrial, Broward Sheriff’s detectives charged Demons 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.

Hamilton’s attorney is asking the judge in the case to set an emergency hearing to consider releasing her from custody. He says she’s a college graduate who works in the medical field, adding she has no criminal history.

Even now, Hamilton is not charged with a crime. But she is being held in custody without bond, for violating the judge’s 2022 order to testify.

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