Florida rapper YNW Melly’s legal team has filed court documents, obtained by Complex, arguing that the “Murder on My Mind” artist should be released from jail on bond because he self-surrendered in connection with the murder charges he’s currently facing.
Melly pointed out the fact that he was born and raised in the South Florida area where the shooting took place and because his entire family lives there, he says that serves as proof that he isn’t going anywhere. He also stated that if he were a flight risk, he would have gone on the lam when he first learned of his impending capital murder charges.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As stated in the court documents, Melly has “never purposefully missed a court date” and is not a flight risk. Attorney Bradford M. Cohen pointed out a legal precedent regarding how defendants facing possible capital or life imprisonment charges are handled when it comes to bond releases, noting specifically that courts still have the ability to use their own discretion when approving or denying bail grant requests.
Cohen and Melly’s team also questioned how the murder trial has “very little actual evidence” and a lack of witnesses, which leaves “no indication” that murder was intended. In the court docs, Melly’s team states there was no murder weapon, no witnesses tying him to the shooting and no DNA evidence implicating him.
Florida prosecutors are still seeking the death penalty, and the state believes they can prove Melly’s involvement definitively, claiming the alleged motive was for “financial gain.” The state intends on proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Melly and Cortlen Henry shot and killed their friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr., claiming the pair shot up their own car to make it look like a drive-by, then left the victims at the ER.
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