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Mistrial Declared After Jury Deadlocks in Rapper YNW Melly’s Murder Trial

The jury in the case deadlocked after multiple days spent deliberating.

After multiple days spent deliberating, a jury in the double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly has failed to reach a unanimous decision—forcing the judge to declare a mistrial. YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is charged with the shooting deaths of Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr, who were both childhood friends of Demons. Prosecutors allege that Demons killed his friends and staged the scene to look like a drive-by shooting, though the defense has taken issue with their evidence. On Saturday, the jury wrote to Judge John Murphy that they couldn’t reach a unanimous decision, The Miami Herald reported. With the mistrial declared, prosecutors will have time to pursue a new trial against Demons.