Masked witness, gang ties and limited DNA? Where YNW Melly double murder trial stands
Prosecutors have long accused rapper YNW Melly of being affiliated with a violent gang — and gunning down two of his friends on behalf of the group. On day seven of Melly’s double murder trial, a witness shed more light on the state’s claim.
Since 2021, the state has insisted that the murders were committed to “benefit, promote and further the interests of a criminal gang.” Prosecutor Kristine Bradley on Thursday called on gang expert Danny Polo to delve deeper into Melly’s supposed affiliation with the G-Shine Bloods set, though prosecutors have yet to elaborate on how the killings benefited the gang.
And Polo’s testimony was only part of the evidence that the state unveiled — and the defense cast doubt on — during the second week of the trial.
Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is accused of shooting his childhood friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr., in an alleged drive-by cover up after spending the night of Oct. 26, 2018, at a Fort Lauderdale recording studio. Williams and Thomas, both aspiring rappers with the YNW collective, were known as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, respectively.
The 24-year-old’s case is among the first being considered after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law to lower the threshold for a death sentence to an 8-4 vote.
Polo, who’s an undercover detective with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, said Melly knows all of G-Shine’s signs, “does them very well” and even flashes them in videos. The rapper, he said, has posed in hundreds of photos with known gang members and often substitutes the letter “C” with the letters “B,” “K” or “X” in messages, which can be an indicator of affiliation with the group.
Some of Melly’s songs, Polo said on the stand, refer to him being a member of the Bloods set. Though he didn’t quote any of the rapper’s lyrics, Polo said he didn’t believe Melly’s alleged affiliation was an act because “G-Shine is one of the more violent Blood sets.”
“If a famous person were to false-rep G-Shine, they would quickly get checked,” Polo said.
The detective claimed the rapper was learning the gang’s oath just days before the murders.
Bradley projected on the courtroom screen several messages and attachments sent to YNW Melly’s booking email, including the G-Shine Bloods’ bylaws and oaths. Polo broke down the importance of the rules and explained gang-related terms to the jury as Bradley pointed out parts of the documents.
The prosecutor also displayed photos of Melly that Polo identified as the rapper’s making gang signs as well as texts with G-Shine Blood lingo that the detective decoded while on the stand.
Mask on, mask off
Polo’s attire was at the center of controversy between the state and the defense Thursday — and even caused a juror to have an anxiety attack. The detective wore a balaclava-style mask to conceal his identity due to ongoing death threats.
“I need a moment,” the juror wrote in a note to Judge John Murphy. “I can’t listen properly. When I was a child, I seen someone get robbed and I am having an anxiety attack.”
Another juror also sent a note about the mask: “Why does he get to see us, but we don’t get to see him?”
A few months ago, Polo testified during the trial of the three men convicted of robbing and killing rapper XXXTentacion in 2018. He also spoke at the sentencing of Robert Allen, the man who testified against his codefendants in the XXXTentacion murder trial, and described how Allen would be at risk in Florida prison for “snitching” due to his gang affiliation.
He wore a mask while on the stand in those cases, too.
Defense attorney David Howard urged Murphy multiple times to have Polo remove the mask so that the jurors could assess his demeanor to determine his credibility. He even suggested seizing all electronics from the people in the courtroom to address Polo’s safety concerns.
“The state could’ve chosen any expert in gangs,” Howard said. “They elected to choose one who has threats against his life that don’t concern this case and is undercover.”
Evidence takes center stage
On Thursday, Bradley showed the judge about 300 photos and several pages of text messages trying to prove that one of the phone’s mentioned in the case belonged to Melly. The defense, again, objected before jury could view the material.
In one of the conversations the state says was between Melly and his mother, Melly asks her to buy a Glock.
“I got your 45,” she said.
“But I rather have a Glock 40 or 19,” he wrote a few messages later.
“Is someone threatening you”
“No ma”
The prosecution in #YNWMelly’s double murder trial presented the court with text messages they allege were sent by the defendant, #JamellDemons. In one series of messages, Melly allegedly asked his mother to buy him a legal gun. pic.twitter.com/1DgKTA8r1J
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) June 22, 2023
Throughout the case, the phone number behind the texts has been an elusive point of contention, with the defense claiming that the number the state tied to Melly was shared by several people. A T-Mobile employee testified Tuesday that the number was under the account of Jamie King, who is Melly’s mother.
Howard argued that the text evidence amounted to hearsay: The phone was associated with the alias “Youngsackchaser Howard,” was retrieved from Melly’s manager and even being used after the rapper’s arrest.
Bradley, however, alleged that photos, selfies and text messages — like the exchange with his mother — proved the phone was Melly’s. The rapper, she said, even gave the phone’s passcode to his manager during a jailhouse call.
“Our contention is not that the phone was never used by Mr. Demons,” Howard told Murphy on Thursday. “It’s that it was not exclusively used by Mr. Demons.”
But Murphy ruled that the state had provided enough evidence to tie the phone to Melly — despite the strange alias.
The phone issue was often raised during FBI Special Agent Brendan Collins’ testimony, which spanned through Tuesday and Wednesday. Collins dissected location data for two numbers: One tied to Melly and another to Thomas.
The state displayed maps of the FBI investigation into the phones’ general whereabouts on the night of the murders. The maps showed that the phones pinged within a range of proximity, though Collins couldn’t definitively say that the phones were together at the same exact location.
DNA evidence found inside the Jeep Compass was also among key testimony this week.
BSO DNA analyst Kurt Rhodes tested objects found inside the SUV, including a water bottle, Gucci slides, a spent shell casing and blood stains discovered on clothes and a pair of Jordans.
The DNA on those items wasn’t a match to the rapper.
But DNA that “may have been” Melly’s was found inside the Jeep — on the rear passenger-side door handle, Rhodes said Wednesday. Though the first test didn’t link Melly to the door handle, another completed on June 1, just days before the trial started, was a possible hit.
