Rapper YNW Melly and friend indicted in slaying of 2 associates last fall
Two young men from the Treasure Coast who’d sought their fortunes in the South Florida rap business were murdered by gunfire, most likely in a Jeep on a lonely stretch of road near the Everglades. The accused triggerman was their close friend, rising rap star YNW Melly, aka Jamell Demons, 19, according to Miramar police and the Broward state attorney’s office.
Prosecutors also charged another friend from the tight quartet from the Vero Beach area: Cortlen Malik Henry, 20.
Before sunrise Oct. 26, a Jeep Compass with the rear window punched out delivered mortally wounded Anthony D’Andre Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. to the emergency bay of Memorial Hospital Miramar.
Doctors declared them dead.
Henry was the driver of the Jeep, and the only passengers were the dying men. Demons was not at the hospital that early morning, according to police.
Williams, 21, who was also called YNW Sakchaser, and Thomas, 19, whose stage name was YNW Juvy, were last seen alive that October day at about 3:20 a.m. in Fort Lauderdale.
About 75 minutes later in remote western Miramar on Pembroke Road, both had been shot multiple times while near a Waste Management plant and U.S. 27, according to a police report.
Demons, Thomas and Henry shared a two-story house in Miramar, a few miles from where police believe the shootings happened. Williams was living in Fort Lauderdale.
At the end of a documentary about Demons that has more than 1.1 million views on YouTube, Demons and his friends are described as the targets of a drive-by shooting in Miami.
But police and prosecutors say in court documents that Demons shot Williams and Thomas, and accuse Henry of helping Demons stage the crime scene inside the Jeep.
The cause of the lethal violence was not disclosed by investigators.
On Feb. 7, a grand jury indicted both Henry and Demons for murder in the first degree with a firearm and indicted Henry with being an accessory after the fact.
Law enforcement in Houston arrested Henry in January. He was flown to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Tuesday, when Miramar police took him into custody.
Demons was promoting a new album released in January called “We All Shine.” His hit single “Murder on My Mind” became a certified gold record last month after selling 500,000 units.
He was in the middle of a 14-city tour and was scheduled to perform in Philadelphia on Thursday night and in Cleveland on Friday, according to his Instagram account. But instead of entertaining his fans, Demons will be behind bars.
He wrote on Instagram, “I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all, a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice. unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother @ynw.bortlen and we want y’all to remember it’s a ynw Family I love you @ynwsakchaser1 and 2ynwjuvy #freeus.”
On Wednesday night, Demons turned himself in to the main Broward County jail in Fort Lauderdale.
On Thursday, Broward County Judge Jackie Powell ordered both Demons and Henry held without bond, and also instructed them not to contact each other.
Henry was apparently not cooperating with prosecutors in the investigation, which is continuing.
During his hearing, a prosecutor said, “Mr. Henry is not going to be a witness. At this point, the state will not be extending offers of any sort to Mr. Henry.”
Demons’ attorneys are Mitchell Polay and Bradford Cohen, and Polay declined to speak on their client’s behalf.
Henry’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.