YNW Melly’s legal troubles continue as the Broward County State Attorney’s office has revealed their intention to retry the Florida rapper for the alleged double murder, despite the recent mistrial.
A status hearing has been scheduled in Judge John Murphy III’s courtroom, indicating that preparations for the retrial are already underway.
While no specific date has been set yet, updates may emerge soon.
“What that means to me as a defense attorney who has tried dozens of jury trials, is there was somebody in that room that was ‘gung-ho’ that this should be an acquittal,” local criminal defense attorney Joshua Rydell stated to NBC6 South Florida. “That’s what this says to me. There were people that didn’t buy the state’s theory and were never going to be in a place to even discuss [YNW Melly’s] case.”
“The hard part of a mistrial like this is the state has shown their cards; they’ve shown their strategy. They’re good facts, and they’re bad facts,” he continued. “That being said, so did the defense. They highlighted their strategy. So now both sides know the playbook that the other side is working with. One courtroom was shut down for six to seven weeks of [YNW Melly’s] trial, and coupled with the jury being sequestered, hotel stays, and extra BSO security to make that happen. If they try it again, there will definitely be a cost to the taxpayers of Broward County.”
