Who is YNW Melly? All about rapper as retrial gets pushed back to 2027

He’s the rapper who soared to fame with “Murder on My Mind,” only to slam head‑first into perhaps the most infamous courtroom saga in hip‑hop history. YNW Melly, born Jamell Demons, spent years in custody following the 2018 deaths of his two close friends and collaborators. After his first murder trial ended in a hung jury, the legal gears were supposed to shift into retrial mode, but the gears jammed.

Now, as the music fades and the court takes center stage, the retrial has been pushed further down the calendar, to January 2027. Let’s dive into who YNW Melly is in the public eye and how his retrial has morphed from imminent to seemingly distant.

Rapper YNW Melly remains behind bars as his retrial for a double homicide gets pushed to January 2027

Jamell Maurice Demons, stage name YNW Melly, burst onto the scene with his haunting track “Murder on My Mind,” blending Southern trap and R&B with a chilling narrative that gained massive traction. Signed to 300 Entertainment, he released two mixtapes that went gold, plus a couple of studio albums, even while in custody. Yet since his arrest in February 2019, his life has unfolded more like a legal thriller than a music journey.

His first murder trial over the 2018 killings of Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams and Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas ended in a mistrial in July 2023 after a hung jury. Most jurors leaned toward conviction on lesser charges, but not enough to reach unanimity. Since then, a maze of motions, appeals, and opposing court maneuvers has stretched out the timeline.

Back in mid‑2024, Judge Martin Fein eyed a fall 2025 retrial. September 10 was marked for jury selection, and September 16 for opening arguments. But prosecutors argued ongoing appeals meant the court shouldn’t push forward yet. Meanwhile, Melly’s team warned that the appeals hearing scheduled for mid‑September 2025 would derail any attempt to begin a fair trial in 2025.

Then came today’s bombshell: the Fourth District Court of Appeals granted a stay, officially pushing the retrial back to January 2027. That new date isn’t etched in stone, but unless something dramatic intervenes, a YNW Melly retrial is now slated for early 2027.