Rapper YNW Melly facing death penalty in murders of YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser
Rapper YNW Melly is now reportedly facing death penalty.
The 19-year-old Florida rapper was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder on February 13 for the October 2018 shooting of Anthony Williams (aka YNW Sakchaser) and Christopher Thomas Jr. (aka YNW Juvy) in Florida.
According to TMZ, the prosecutors in Florida will be seeking death penalty as the state believes it can show "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Melly committed both the acts of murder for "financial gain." The report has also cited court documents showing the prosecutors seeking the death penalty for the rapper, which is still legal in Florida. According to reports, prosecutors have also labeled Melly as "criminal gang member."
Court information available for public view also shows that the state's notice of intent to seek the death penalty was filed on April 18.
The news comes after Melly and co-defendant YNW Bortlen both pleaded not guilty to charges related to the case back in March this year. Reports state that Melly is accused of shooting both YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser in October 2018.
Investigators have also revealed that Melly and Bortlen allegedly attempted to make the crime look like a drive-by shooting, and even dropped the victims off at the ER before the two were pronounced dead.
According to Complex, YNW Sakchaser's mother Jenny Thompson called Melly and Bortlen's not guilty pleas "another stab in the heart." Melly's mother, on the other hand, has alleged that Sakchaser— real name Anthony Williams — had also sent her threat messages prior to the shooting. Surprisingly enough, Melly is said to have been quite close to both Sakchaser and Juvy. In an interview with the same outlet, a mutual friend of the three (name undisclosed) said "they were like brothers."