YNW Melly will reportedly have to see his double murder trial play out in court after a judge denied his lawyer's motion for a mistrial on Tuesday.
According to a report from WPLG Local 10 Miami, Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy denied defense attorney David Howard's motion after he disagreed with the lawyer's claim that the prosecution "tainted" the jury after Felicia Holmes, the mother of Melly's ex-girlfriend, was questioned.
Holmes' testimony caused problems for the prosecution and defense teams. According to the Miami Herald, Howard didn't want Holmes to take the stand, which led to several recesses and conflicts with prosecutors.
Prosecutor Kristine Bradley wanted Holmes to testify regarding her police statement in 2018, where she said Melly spoke to his ex on that fateful 2018 night and claimed he was the victim of a drive-by shooting that killed his two friends. Howard argued the woman's statement was inadmissible evidence and motioned for a mistrial.
Another reason behind Howard's pursuit of a mistrial was due to the prosecution having a tough time presenting evidence fo the case. So far, the use of Snapchat memories was denied, Melly's song "Murder On My Mind" couldn't be used, and other witnesses stated the prosecution allegedly pressured them into their testimonies.
The court also announced there would be a pause in witness testimonies after a juror was recently admitted to a hospital after suffering from dehydration. According to a tweet from reporter Bryson Paul, the trial is scheduled to pick back up at 1:30 p.m. est.
YNW Melly was arrested and charged with murdering two of his friends, Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr. and Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams, and staging the scene to look like a drive-by shooting in February 2019. If found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, Melly could face the death penalty. He pleaded not guilty in 2019.
