

The Associated Press





MIRAMAR, Fla. -- Police have charged Florida rapper YNW Melly with killing two of his close friends who were also rising rap stars, and trying to make it appear they died in a drive-by shooting.

On Wednesday, Miramar police arrested 19-year-old YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, on first-degree murder charges in October deaths of 19-year-old Christopher Thomas Jr. and 21-year-old Anthony Williams.

The rapper's 20-year-old friend Cortlen Henry also was arrested, in Houston last month, and extradited to Florida on Tuesday in connection with the killings.

Demons was booked into Broward County Jail on Wednesday night.

Investigators said the victims were killed early in the morning of Oct. 26 and driven in a Jeep Compass to the emergency room entrance of Memorial Hospital Miramar, which is 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of Fort Lauderdale. Both were dead of multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

In a news release, Miramar police said Demons shot the men, who were his lifelong friends, and Henry drove the vehicle to the hospital. According to investigators, Demons and Henry staged the Jeep to make it appear as though the victims died in a drive-by shooting.

Henry's statement to investigators didn't match the evidence discovered during the preliminary investigation, police said.

The victims were last seen alive around 3:20 a.m. on Oct. 26 in Fort Lauderdale, records show.

The Sun Sentinel reports the victims had recently moved from Vero Beach to Miramar and were trying to forge their own rap careers. Thomas went by the stage name YNW Juvy while Williams was known as YNW Sakchaser. Both were featured in the "Melly" documentary video posted to YNW Melly's YouTube page. The text at the end of the video notes that four days after the film was completed, "YNW Melly and his friends were the target of a drive-by shooting..."

In a post Wednesday on YNW Melly's official Instagram, he said "a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice."

YNW Melly's first official studio album "We All Shine" was released last month. He had also recently collaborated with Kanye West.

(1/2) Jamell Demons, a.k.a. YNW Melly & Cortlen Henry have been arrested and charged with two counts of first degree murder. The victims, Anthony Williams & Christopher Thomas Jr., were killed on 10/26/2018. The investigation, supported by forensic evidence, has concluded that pic.twitter.com/ArzVCLRxjd — Miramar Police (@MiramarPD) February 14, 2019</s>Police have charged Florida rapper YNW Melly with killing two of his close friends who were also rising rap stars, and trying to make it appear they died in a drive-by shooting.

On Wednesday Miramar police arrested 19-year-old YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, on first-degree murder charges in October 2018 deaths of 19-year-old Christopher Thomas Jr. and 21-year-old Anthony Williams.

The rapper's 20-year-old friend Cortlen Henry also was arrested, in Houston last month, and extradited to Florida on Tuesday in connection with the killings.

In a post Wednesday on YNW Melly's official Instagram, he said "a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice."

YNW Melly's first official studio album was released in January.</s>Florida rapper YNW Melly has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

According to The Box Houston, Wednesday, Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, was arrested in connection with the October 2018 shooting deaths of two men described as the rapper’s close friends.

Miramar police said they believed Demons fatally shot the two men, then with the help of another man, tried to make it look like they had been the victims of a drive-by shooting.

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Records show he was booked into Broward’s jail shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday evening and during a brief court appearance Thursday morning, Broward Judge Jackie Powell ordered that Demons remain in jail without bond.

In a post on YNW Melly’s official Instagram, the 19-year-old’s team issued a statement from the rapper stating he was turning himself in.

“I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all,” reads the post. “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.”

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The victims, Anthony Williams, 21, and Christopher Thomas Jr., 19, were killed during the early hours of October 26, 2018, then driven in a Jeep Compass around 4:35 a.m. to the emergency room entrance of Memorial Hospital Miramar.

The Sun Sentinal reports that Demons’ alleged accomplice Cortlen Henry, was the driver of the Jeep. But after he gave a statement about what he characterized as a drive-by, investigators noticed that Henry’s statement didn’t match the evidence they had discovered during their preliminary investigation. As a result, Henry was arrested in Houston last month and was extradited to Broward on Tuesday.

Officials have yet to say what precipitated the shooting or name a motive.</s>Up and coming Florida rapper YNW Melly has been arrested for shooting two of his friends and assisting band mate YNW Bortlen to make the scene look like a drive-by shooting.

Rising Florida rap star YNW Melly shot two of his close friends dead and then with the help of another man tried to make it look like they had been the victims of a drive-by shooting, Miramar police announced Wednesday. https://t.co/XdgxmZpfMe pic.twitter.com/T6INLHnIvX

According to Miramar police, Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, shot 19-year old Christopher Thomas J and 21-year old Anthony Williams — who went by the stage names YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser — on October 26, 2018 and Bortlen, real name Cortlen Henry, helped Demons stage the crime to look like a drive-by shooting.

Demons and Henry have both been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Henry was also charged with two counts of accessory.</s>Rapper 21 Savage is set to be released from U.S. custody on bond, after being held for over a week on immigration charges. Jayson Albano reports.

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US rapper YNW Melly, who recently collaborated with Kanye West, has been arrested for the alleged murder and cover-up of two close friends, police say.

The 19-year-old rapper from Florida, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, was arrested on Wednesday evening and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the October 2018 shooting deaths of the men, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

During a short court appearance on Thursday morning, Broward Judge Jackie Powell ordered that he remain in jail without bond.

Police said Cortlen Henry, 20, was also arrested in connection with the shooting and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

The victims, Anthony Williams, 21, and Christopher Thomas Jr, 19, suffered multiple gunshot wounds early on October 26, 2018.

Police say Demons shot the two, while Henry drove the car; the pair staged the crime scene, a Jeep Compass, to make it appear that a drive-by shooting had taken place.

Details in Henry’s statement did not match the evidence they discovered in a preliminary investigation, police said.

Demons posted on Instagram on Wednesday night that he was turning himself in.

“I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all,” he wrote.

“A couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice. unfortunately a lot of rumours and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother (at) ynw.bortlen and we want y’all to remember it’s a ynw Family I love you (at) ynwsakchaser1 and 2ynwjuvy (hashtag) freeus.”

The two dead men were featured in the “Melly” documentary video, which is posted on the rapper’s YouTube page.

At the end of the documentary, on-screen text notes that four days after the film was completed: “YNW Melly and his friends were the target of a drive-by shooting in Miami, Florida. YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser were killed.”

Several days after the killings, Demons’ lawyer Bradford Cohen said of his client, “He’s sad, he’s upset, obviously. Those were his best friends.”

Cohen did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.

In a tweet posted the day after the killings, Demons wrote in part, “They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy I know y’all watching over me … and after, they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box …”

Melly, who was recently featured on Kanye West on the song Mixed Personalities, was scheduled to begin a tour as a support act on Kodak Black’s Dying to Live tour on March 14.</s>According to police in Miramar, Florida, on October 26, the rapper YNW Melly shot and killed his friends Anthony Williams, 21, and Christopher Thomas Jr., 19, and then, with the help of another man, manipulated the crime scene to make it appear as if the two men had been the victims of a drive-by shooting.

On Wednesday, the rapper turned himself in at a Washington DC station, where a night prior he had performed at Union Stage, the second stop on his “We All Shine” Tour. Melly is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the October shooting deaths, The Sun-Sentinel reported. The victims, Williams and Thomas Jr., had been described as Melly’s close friends and were also aspiring rappers. They were apart of Melly’s “Young New World” collective and went by the monikers YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy respectively.

Melly’s friend Cortlen Henry, 20, was also arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He is believed to have assisted Melly in the crime. According to the police, Henry was the driver of the Jeep Compass which delivered Williams and Thomas Jr. to the Memorial Hospital Miramar emergency room at 4:35 AM on October 26. Both Williams and Thomas had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators found that the statement that Henry gave the police didn’t match the evidence they had discovered during the preliminary investigation. Police believe that after Melly shot and killed the two victims, he and Henry damaged the Jeep Compass to make it appear as if a drive-by shooting had taken place.

Melly is the latest in a string of exciting, young rappers to emerge from South Florida. His debut album We All Shine was released last month and featured a guest appearance from none other than Kanye West. On Wednesday evening, Melly gave a statement addressing the arrest via his 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 @ynwjuvy #freeus.</s>Rapper YNW Melly Charged In Double Murder of His Friends

Rapper YNW Melly has been arrested and charged in the double murder of two of his friends.

The Miramar Police Department announced Wednesday Melly -- real name Jamell Demons -- and Cortlen Henry have each been charged with two counts of first degree murder. According to cops, Demons and Henry were involved in the killings of two men in October.

Cops say after their investigation, it was determined Demons shot the men and then he and Henry staged the crime scene to look like a drive-by shooting.

YNW took to his Instagram just before turning himself in to police, saying, "To all my fans and supporters ... 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."

Cops say it was forensic evidence that linked the two men to the crime.

YNW Melly was an up and coming rapper who most recently was among several rappers working with Kanye West on his new album in Miami.</s>MIRAMAR, Fla. - An up-and-coming South Florida rapper was arrested Wednesday after Miramar police said he killed two of his close friends, who were also aspiring rappers.

Police said 19-year-old Jamell Demons, whose stage name is YNW Melly, shot and killed Anthony Williams, 21, and Christopher Thomas Jr., 19.

Police also said Demons, of Vero Beach, and another man, Cortlen Henry, staged the scene to make it appear that the attack was a drive-by shooting.

Demons is known for song "Murder on My Mind."

Police have not disclosed where the men were killed, but they were last seen in Fort Lauderdale.

Someone drove Williams and Thomas to Memorial Hospital Miramar around 4 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2018. Both men later died at the hospital.

Demons and the victims were longtime friends and after their deaths, Demons posted on social media mourning them.

"They took my brothers from me over jealousy. I know y’all watching over me and after they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box..." Demons wrote on Twitter after the shooting.

Demons' attorney, Bradford Cohen, also spoke to the South Florida Sun Sentinel about the killings.

"He's sad, he's upset, obviously," Cohen told the newspaper in October. "Those were his best friends."

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated. They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy 💔💔 I know y’all watching over me 🙏🏾🌍 it’s #ynw4l and after 🙏🏾❤️, they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box but my niggas still need me they parents need me they family need me till we meet again my slimes 🐍 💔 pic.twitter.com/wuKuhulqAW — Melvin & Melly 2 Face 🌗 (@YNWMelly) October 27, 2018</s>YNW Melly, the Florida rap star who was set to appear at Warehouse Live at the end of the month has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the October 2018 shooting deaths of two men described as the rapper’s close friends.

Miramar, FL police tweeted that Melly, real name Jamell Demons shot and killed two men, Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. and that Demons along with an associate, Cortlen Henry, staged the murder to resemble a drive-by shooting.

Henry was arrested in Houston in January and was extradited to Florida on Tuesday. No bond has been set.

Rapper YNW Milly Charged In Double Murder Case In Florida was originally published on theboxhouston.com</s>Text “RICKEY” to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. (Terms and conditions).

YNW Melly, the Florida rap star who was set to appear at Warehouse Live at the end of the month has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the October 2018 shooting deaths of two men described as the rapper’s close friends.

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Miramar, FL police tweeted that Melly, real name Jamell Demons shot and killed two men, Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. and that Demons along with an associate, Cortlen Henry, staged the murder to resemble a drive-by shooting.

Henry was arrested in Houston in January and was extradited to Florida on Tuesday. No bond has been set.
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Rapper YNW Milly Charged In Double Murder Case In Florida was originally published on theboxhouston.com

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Florida rapper YNW Melly is arrested for allegedly murdering two friends.