YNW Melly, who still faces charges for the 2018 killings of his friends Christopher Thomas Jr. and Anthony Williams, found himself back in court Friday for an emergency hearing. The session became heated as his defense attorneys clashed with Judge Martin S. Fein over the investigation into the rapper’s lead attorney, Ravon Liberty.
Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is accused of the double murder in Miramar.
The court hearing last Friday focused on an ongoing investigation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office into Liberty’s involvement in the case. However, the prosecution has kept details of the probe confidential.
Get this: Judge Fein ruled in favor of the defense, granting them access to an unredacted search warrant regarding Liberty after overruling the state’s request for a protective order. The defense argued that if Liberty’s involvement presented a conflict of interest, they needed to understand why in order to make informed decisions moving forward.
Moreover, one of Melly’s attorneys addressed the court, saying, “I believe as the court, you have an obligation to ferret out what the conflict is so that we can make an informed decision.” However, Judge Fein disagreed with the defense’s stance, emphasizing that it was not the court’s responsibility to investigate the matter further.
“Sir, with all due respect, this isn’t a vacuum. He can have a sit down with Miss Liberty and you can sit down with Miss Liberty,” Fein stated. “She’s well aware of who she’s emailed. She’s well aware of who she’s called. She’s well aware of what’s on these records. So it’s incumbent on you all to fully inform your client. That’s not my job, it’s your job.”
Here’s what the motion meant. It did not lead to any immediate changes, and Melly’s legal team is expected to return to court on February 18 for further proceedings.
In other developments, Melly’s ex-girlfriend was recently taken into custody for civil contempt after failing to appear at his 2023 double-murder trial as ordered. Her absence from the stand violated a court mandate, and law enforcement only became aware of the arrest warrant after she left the country. In late 2023, following a mistrial in the case, Melly and his alleged accomplice, Cortlen Henry, were charged with witness tampering for allegedly orchestrating the absence of a key witness.
