YNW Juvy’s father says he thought YNW Melly was responsible for taking his son’s life “from day one,” pointing to an alleged financial dispute that he says may have played a role.
As previously reported, Melly—after some delay—is currently in the middle of a double murder trial in which he’s accused of killing his two friends and fellow YNW collective members, Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, in 2019.
Speaking with Angenette Levy this week on the Law & Crime Sidebar podcast, Juvy’s father, Christopher Thomas Sr., said it’s “kind of overwhelming at times” to see the trial in progress.
“But I’m doing the best I can at the moment,” he added.
Looking back on his son’s life, Thomas said Juvy was “a good kid” who “loved his whole family” and his friends.
“He just got caught up with being too loyal and got betrayed by one of his so-called friends,” he said. “It’s a sad situation for everybody."
Roughly four minutes into the interview, Thomas noted he “immediately” thought Melly was responsible for his son’s death.
“From day one, I believed that Melly was responsible for my son’s death on October 26 when I first heard the story,” he said. “Because his explanation when I finally talked to him and [Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry] on FaceTime, their response and how they were acting—they didn’t show no remorse. They didn’t act like they was grieving or lost a friend.”
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Closer to the 5:15 mark, Thomas pointed out the “demeanor” and “body language” of the alleged perpetrators as being crucial in his assessment of the case. Furthermore, as he explained around six minutes into the interview, he believes an alleged $500,000 deal may have played a part in what transpired.
“It’s not reported but Chris told me the same story and also the $500,000 play,” Thomas said. “Melly was gonna get $200,000, Sak was gonna get $200,000, and Chris was gonna get $100,000. And as I’m hearing it from Chris, they was gonna sell the YNW brand. Not a record deal or nothing like that. It was, like, for the brand itself. By them being founding members, they were gonna get a piece of the piece. I don’t think Melly did it on his own. I think that manager guy got in his ear and did a little divide-and-conquer.”
The deal would have been for “marketing, licensing, and stuff like that,” according to Thomas. From his perspective, Melly “didn’t wanna give them guys nothing” and instead wanted to be “the only one to shine.”
An alleged payment in the amount of $200,000 was previously discussed in prior coverage of the case, specifically in connection with a deposition from Sakchaser’s mother, Jana Thompson. Days before his death, Thompson said in March of last year, her son “hysterically called” her and said he was “probably not going to get my $200,000.” Thompson, however, said she did not know the nature of the alleged payment.
YNW Melly pleaded not guilty in 2019. His case has been a constant source of headlines and related coverage in the years since, including the Infamous: The Story of YNW Melly Spotify podcast from Complex.
