Rapper YNW Melly begs for prison release after COVID-19 diagnosis, victims' families say he doesn't deserve it
Rapper YNW Melly's request for emergency medical release from prison after testing positive for COVID-19 has been criticized by the families of his alleged victims who believe he should stay in prison till a jury decides his fate.
Melly, whose real name is Jamell Maurice Demons, announced his diagnosis via his Instagram and shared news reports that confirmed two inmates at Broward County Jail had, in fact, tested positive for COVID-19. Following the news, he also confirmed via social media that his defense attorney Bradford Cohen would be filing for a conditional release for medical reasons, including the lack of adequate care in prisons for anyone suffering from or at risk of being infected with the coronavirus.
A bit of the motion they filed on April 6 is visible in another post shared to Demons' account, as well as a report claiming his health was failing as he awaited the result of his appeal.
Demons is currently in prison awaiting trial after he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in 2019 along with fellow rapper Cortlen 'YNW Bortlen' Henry in connection with the 2018 shooting deaths of two of his 'close friends' and fellow aspiring rappers, Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams and Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr. It is alleged that the two tried to stage the murder as a drive-by shooting.
The two are also suspects in the fatal shooting of off-duty Indian River County Sheriff's Department deputy Gary Chambliss which occurred in 2017.
The families of Williams and Thomas Jr. have now lashed out at Demons' attempts to gain early release. Claiming he was a threat to them and other witnesses in the case against him, the families have said they oppose his motion.
The family of Thomas Jr. stated they were horrified that streaming companies continued to promote Demons' songs 'Murder on My Mind' and 'Two Face', both of which they believe recount details of the murder as well as hint at intimidation of witnesses. The first song was written by Demons while he was incarcerated at the age of 16 after he was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of discharging a firearm in public following an incident in 2015 where he shot at a group fo students near a high school. The song was released in 2017 before the alleged murders of Williams and Thomas Jr. took place in 2018.
The Williams family also opposed Demons's early release, stating they did not believe he deserved it. They added, via their attorneys at Steinger, Greene & Feiner, "While our firm and the family of Anthony Williams’ sympathize with anyone affected by COVID-19, we do not believe this justifies pretrial release. He needs to remain in custody until a jury decides his fate."
Demons has already been in prison for over a year now after he turned himself into the police in connection with the case on February 13, 2019. He has maintained he is innocent, and his family have repeatedly attempted to get him and Henry released from prison.