retrial

YNW Melly Insists That The State Attorney’s Office Concealed Evidence To Protect Lead Detective

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The lead detective on the double murder case is being accused once again. The ever-so-dense timeline of YNW Melly’s court battles adds another layer. The Florida rapper put in another motion for the murder of YNW Sakchaser and Juvy to be dismissed. He feels that Mark Moretti, who was already called out for “excessive force,” is up against it once more. Melly and his defense attorneys are saying prosecutors withheld evidence. This surrounds Moretti’s alleged misconduct that protected him as a witness in YNW Melly’s first trial.

In documents obtained from AllHipHop, Melly’s team feels strongly that there has been a lot of wrongdoing during this battle. “Rather than presenting this to the defense so that [they] could have used it during the first trial, the State withheld this information. In fact, it is believed the highest levels of the State Attorney’s Office made determinations to not provide it to the defense, and secondly, not to pursue the internal affairs investigation.”

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YNW Melly’s Team Feels There Is More Dirt On Moretti

YNW Melly HNHH
Image via HNHH

Furthermore, they believe this would impeach Moretti, but instead, Melly has not been granted fair Process Rights. Additionally, Melly’s team also thinks they have even more evidence. “In essence, the State has intentionally done whatever it could to sanitize Detective Moretti’s actions. Although the defense has only uncovered the tip of the iceberg in this matter, this tip is sufficient for this Court to determine the Defendant’s Due Process Rights.” Melly’s retrial appears to be starting on October 9, but it was pushed back once already, so who knows if this will be a set date.

What are your initial thoughts on YNW Melly accusing the Broward County State Attorney’s Office of prosecutorial misconduct? Do you think this will help him or hurt him? Do you believe that Melly is telling the truth or is just trying to get another shot at being freed? We want to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the breaking news around YNW Melly.

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YNW Melly Tells Family “I’m Coming Home” During Recent Court Appearance

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The drama surrounding YNW Melly and his long-running courtroom drama has taken yet another turn. A few weeks ago the judge in the case declared a mistrial after the jury couldn’t come to a definitive verdict. In the weeks since the prosecution made it clear that they would be seeking out a mistrial. Late last week that paperwork was formerly filed and the date for Melly’s next trial was set. The second trial is officially set to begin on October 2nd, a full five years after the shooting Melly is on trial for.

Now it appears YNW Melly may know something we don’t. In a recent court appearance cameras caught Melly mouthing a message to his family. That message is “I’m coming home,” which carries some massive implications despite its brevity. It’s unclear exactly what Melly meant but fans online began speculating immediately. Melly is retaining his legal team from the first trial for the second one. Perhaps he is confident that with a second time around they will have an even stronger defense that can result in an innocent plea. You can watch the short clip of Melly’s message below.

YNW Melly’s Message To Family

In the wake of the mistrial being declared stories began to leak out to the public on how it went down. Initially, YNW Melly’s mother claimed that the jury came down 9-3 in favor of Melly, leading to a mistrial. Later a reporter who has been covering the case disputed the claim and insisted that the jury was hung on a 6-6 split tie.

Later on, one juror spoke publicly about the proceedings and had a very different take. “From day one, she had issues with the foreperson selected, at one point crossing her arms and saying she was ‘Done!’ When another juror asked to not shut down and set her feelings aside, she exploded. She was explosive, manipulative, she was rude, she yelled insults at anyone who had a different opinion. She was there to cause chaos,” the juror explained. What do you think of YNW Melly’s newest message to his family? Let us know in the comment section below.

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YNW Melly Case: What’s Next?

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YNW Melly’s case has been making headlines as the jury recently declared a mistrial in his double murder trial. After three days of deliberation, the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, leading to an uncommon outcome that raises questions about what comes next for Melly and the implications this mistrial may have on his future.

The Case And The Jury’s Verdict

Melly’s trial centered around the accusation that he shot and killed his childhood friends, Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr., in a Jeep Compass back in 2018. The prosecution presented evidence claiming that Melly and his co-defendant, Cortland Henry, also known as YNW Bortlen, staged the incident as a drive-by shooting to cover up the murder. However, the defense strongly denied Melly’s involvement and emphasized the lack of a recovered gun, arguing that Melly had no motive to harm his friends.

The trial lasted for five weeks, with both the state and the defense resting their cases in the fifth week. Unfortunately, the jury foreperson revealed that the opinions among the jurors were deeply divided, ultimately leading to a deadlock. As a result, the Broward Circuit Judge declared a mistrial, leaving the case unresolved and open for future proceedings.

Read More: YNW Melly’s Manager Calls Mistrial A “Second Chance At Life,” Twitter Reacts

What Happens Next?

YNW Melly retrial case
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – FEBRUARY 13: In this handout photo provided by the Broward’s Sheriff’s Office, rapper YNW Melly, real name Jamell Demons, is seen in a police booking photo after being charged with two counts of murder in the first degree February 13, 2019 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Demons allegedly conspired with Cortlen Henry to fatally shot two other Florida based rappers, Christopher Thomas Jr and Anthony Williams, October 26. (Photo by Broward’s Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)

The mistrial does not exonerate Melly from the charges. However, it does offer an opportunity for both the prosecution and the defense to reassess their strategies before the retrial. With a new jury likely to be selected, the final outcome of the case remains uncertain. The mistrial also highlights the rarity of such occurrences in high-profile cases, as only 10% of trials result in mistrials.

Moreover, with the mistrial declared, the Broward State Attorney’s Office confirmed to NBC 6 South Florida on Monday, July 24th that they will retry Melly on the double murder charges. Both sides will likely reevaluate their evidence and witness testimony to strengthen their respective cases. The next trial will offer an entirely new jury, whose opinions could significantly influence the final verdict. The mistrial doesn’t necessarily predict the outcome of the retrial either, as the dynamics of a new jury may lead to different conclusions.

Read More: Young Thug, Juelz Santana, French Montana, And Other Rappers Referenced In YNW Melly Murder Trial

Considerations For The Future

As the case progresses, the defense will continue to emphasize reasonable doubt, relying on conflicting evidence in the state’s case. It is also worth noting that this trial is among the first under a new Florida law that reduces the threshold for a death sentence to an 8-4 jury vote, adding another layer of complexity to the proceedings.

The mistrial in the YNW Melly double murder trial has left many questions unanswered about what comes next. Despite the jury’s deadlock, the case will proceed with a retrial. This offers both the prosecution and the defense an opportunity to present their cases afresh. As the legal proceedings continue, the world will be watching closely to see how the future unfolds for Melly.

Read More: YNW Melly Gets Huge Streaming Boost During Trial

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Tory Lanez’s New Trial Motion Denied, Rapper’s Attorneys Seeks To Have Judge Dismissed

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Despite his attempts to plead with Judge David Herriford to not “ruin his life” ahead of today’s ruling, it’s been decided that Tory Lanez will not receive a retrial in his case with Megan Thee Stallion. The embattled R&B star has been behind bars since late last yea. At the time, he was found guilty of shooting the Houston-born rap diva back in 2020. He’s obviously been maintaining his innocence. Elsewhere, Megan has finally been speaking out about her thoughts on the situation. She recently wrote a lengthy essay for Elle in which she declared her intentions to no longer publicly speak about her trauma.

Word of Lanez’s denial came on Tuesday (May 9), from reporter Meghann Cuniff who previously covered the original proceedings. According to her daily Twitter thread, things were off to a bumpy start at the LA Superior Court. Everyone in attendance was faced with delays, setting an undeniably sour tone. “It’s now 11 and there’s no word at all about when we might get to go into the courtroom for this 10:30 hearing Judge Herriford set yesterday after hearing *five hours* of argument on the motion,” she vented earlier this afternoon.

Read More: Tory Lanez Reportedly Begs Judge To Not “Ruin His Life” Ahead Of New Trial Ruling

Tory Lanez Denied Second Trial

Shortly after, Cuniff returned with confirmation of the denied motions, along with some other news. “In a jaw-dropping move, Lanez’s lawyers filed a motion to disqualify Judge Herriford from [the recording artist’s] case,” the reporter dished in a tweet. “Then told the judge they didn’t think he could issue his ruling until the motion was resolved. Herriford disagreed,” her message ended.

Although the news is certainly good for Thee Stallion, who’s looking to put the past behind her, it seems as though the father of one isn’t planning on going down without a fight. His attorneys challenged each one of the seven arguments addressed by Herriford in court and will return later this afternoon to give their final comments. Are you surprised that Tory Lanez’s motion for a retrial has been denied? Let us know in the comments, and tap back in later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.

Read More: Megan Thee Stallion Reflects On Tory Lanez’s Guilty Verdict

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Tory Lanez’s Lawyer Claims To Have New Evidence Releasing Today For National DNA Day

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Tory Lanez’s efforts to free himself from behind bars have become increasingly intense as of late. This past weekend, the embattled Canadian penned an open letter claiming that his trial with Megan Thee Stallion was unjust. Now, his new lawyer is claiming to have some interesting new evidence expected to be revealed later today. User @baezlawfirm on Instagram shared the news early on Tuesday (April 25) morning via a Story post. “Today is National DNA Day,” the attorney’s message began.

“We are happy to announce that Tory Lanez will be releasing information about the DNA in his case that gave false and misleading information to his jury,” Jose Baez later added. To conclude, the R&B star’s legal representative threw in a “#FreeToryLanez,” obviously hoping to get his client back to freedom in the near future. “You know he’s legit because he posted this on his Story…” one person quipped in @theneighborhoodtalk’s comments. “Give it up, Delicious!!!” several others wrote.

Tory Lanez’s Lawyer Gives an Update on National DNA Day

@baezlawfirm/Instagram Story

It remains unclear when Lanez plans to unleash his big news. Still, the aforementioned letter he wrote certainly gave us some insight into how he’s been feeling since his December 2022 arrest. “Until my court date, I’ll be posting the OUTRAGEOUS & DISGUSTING INJUSTICES used against me by the PROSECUTION to get the conviction they so DESPERATELY wanted, DESPITE the evidence they knew existed,” the father of one wrote in an IG post shared on his behalf last week.

His message to the LA District Attorney was markedly softer in tone, reading, “I write this message with the utmost humility, love, and respect for the remarkable stance you’ve taken in regards to fighting for the justice of Black and Brown minorities. Today I take a stance as an innocent Black Man, wrongfully convicted of a crime I DID not commit,” the Chixtapes hitmaker penned. “I was completely robbed and deprived of a fair trial.” Are you curious to see what Tory Lanez’s attorney has to share with the world today? Let us know in the comments, and read his full letter to George Gascon here.

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Tory Lanez Files Motion For New Trial In Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Case

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Under a newly restructured legal team, Tory Lanez filed a motion for a retrial after a jury found him guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, according to Rolling Stone. The rapper’s attorneys, Jose Baez and Matthew Barhoma, filed the paperwork on Wednesday, claiming numerous mistakes surrounding the evidence barred Tory from having a fair trial. Among those is the infamous comment on The Shade Room that shut down rumors that Megan Thee Stallion’s former best friend Kelsey Nicole shot her. 

Tory’s team stated that the rapper’s social media handler wrote the comment. Still, prosecutors only introduced it as evidence mid-trial and they claimed the judge should’ve blocked the response into the trial, especially since the defense was that Kelsey fired the gun. “The court erred on numerous questions of law in allowing the People to introduce this post, depriving defendant of a fair trial,” the new motion reads. “The only acceptable remedy for this miscarriage of justice is a new trial.”

Tory Lanez Lyrics & 2Pac Tattoo

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Tory Lanez performs on stage during Wireless Festival 2019 on July 05, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 05: Tory Lanez performs on stage during Wireless Festival 2019 on July 05, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns)

In addition to the social media post, Tory Lanez’s legal team, which was previously led by famous attorney David Kenner, accused prosecutors of painting the rapper as a “gun-wielding career criminal.” They argued that the prosecution introduced a shirtless photo of the “Say It” singer where a tattoo of a gun is shown on his chest. However, nine days after his trial, California law (AB 2799) went into effect preventing “creative expression” into evidence as it might create a racial bias. His team argued 2Pac had the same AK-47 tattoo on his chest “as a symbol of Black unity and the fight against racism.”

Between the tattoo and the social media post, his social media team argued that the court “impermissibly chilled” to testify because the judge ruled that rap lyrics and music videos could be introduced under cross-examination, such as the video for “Cap” where Tory cuts horse leg with a cleaver. His team said that Tory Lanez should’ve been able to testify without impeachment evidence because AB 2799 already passed through California legislature. 

Tory Restructures Defense Team 

Earlier this year, Tory added Kenner, who represented Suge Knight in the 90s, to his legal team. However, Barz and Barhoma will now lead Tory’s bid for a retrial, the rapper said in a statement. “Due to a scheduling conflict, David Kenner will no longer be a part of my defense team. I would like to thank Mr. Kenner for his hard work and wise counsel. Jose Baez will continue to represent me as first chair and Matthew Barhoma as second chair,” he said. Check out his statement above. We’ll keep you up to speed on more updates surrounding Tory’s retrial.

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