Prosecutors rested their case Monday against Jamell “YNW Melly” Demons, and defense lawyers immediately asked the judge to find their client not guilty and set him free.
The motion for a directed verdict of acquittal is routine — defense lawyers argue that the state has failed to meet its burden to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Judges rarely interfere with the process at this stage of proceedings, preferring to leave the decision in the hands of the jury.
In this case, the motion was denied.
If convicted of the October 2018 murders of Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas, Demons will have to face the jury a second time to determine whether he deserves to be executed for the crime. To convict, the jury has to be unanimous. To authorize a death sentence, only eight of the 12 jurors need to approve.
The case against Demons is largely circumstantial, but the circumstances are incriminating. Demons, the victims, and driver Cortland Henry were seen on surveillance video getting into Henry’s Jeep after a recording session in Fort Lauderdale.
Medical experts say the victims were shot at close range from a person seated behind the driver, the seat Demons took when leaving the recording studio. There is no evidence anyone else occupied that seat at any point that night and early morning.
The state’s final witness, Miramar Police Detective Mark Moretti, told jurors about a string of text messages and private exchanges on social media between Demons, his mother, Williams and others.
In one of the final, potentially incriminating, posts shared with the jury, Demons was asked on Instagram how he was holding up after the deaths of his two close friends. His response: “Shhh. I did that.”
But defense lawyers say enough time elapsed between the recording session in Fort Lauderdale and the shooting in Miramar to allow for the possibility someone else was in the vehicle. The defense is also seeking to cast doubt on whether Demons was the one in control of the phone prosecutors insist was his throughout the numerous text and social media message exchanges.
Defense lawyer Stuart Adelstein questioned Moretti on how thoroughly the detective searched for video surveillance footage that could corroborate what investigators were originally told — that the victims were the targets of a drive-by shooting. The lawyer also grilled the detective for, in his view, not doing enough to consider other possible suspects.
Defense lawyers have contended from the start of the trial that investigators, led by Moretti, settled on Demons as a suspect because they wanted to take down a celebrity.
The victims and the suspect were longtime friends, and the defense has contended that Demons had no motive to violently end their lives. The text messages displayed in court show Demons and his friends were clashing over money and creative credit.
The defense is scheduled to begin presenting its witnesses on Tuesday, said Broward Circuit Judge John J. Murphy.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at or 954-356-4457.
