Prosecutor accused detective in YNW Melly case of lying. Police say that didn’t occur
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The double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly
The double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, has had many twists and turns since the South Florida artist was accused of killing his childhood best friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in 2019.
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The prosecutor who allegedly witnessed wrongdoing by the lead detective in the YNW Melly case made statements that were inconsistent with her previous account, according to a Miramar Police internal affairs memo obtained by the Miami Herald.
The Sept. 7 memo, written by Internal Affairs Sgt. Brittany Parker and sent to Chief Delrish Moss, broke down statements from witnesses to the October 2022 incident with Detective Mark Moretti. Parker concluded that what prosecutor Michelle Boutros said contradicted her initial statement and that of other witnesses.
Boutros, a Broward prosecutor of 20 years assigned to the Public Corruption Unit, recounted the events of the incident with Moretti and accused him unethical behavior during an interview with defense attorneys. Melly’s legal team filed the transcripts of Boutros’ interview on Monday to support their efforts to dismiss the case.
READ MORE: Prosecutor accused detective in YNW Melly case of lying. She’s now a defense witness
In the last week, the defense has filed a slew of court documents and accused Moretti of wrongdoing and lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley of a Brady violation, or concealing information favorable to the defense, for allegedly not divulging details about the incident. Under Florida law, prosecutors are required to disclose any information that may be favorable to the defense. The discovery of Brady violations, in some cases, have even led to overturned convictions.
According to Parker’s memo, Moretti took a statement from Jamie King, Melly’s mother, in October 2022 in a conference room on the seventh floor of the Broward courthouse. Prosecutor Boutros, King’s attorney Robert Trachman and Broward Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Hendrick were present at the time.
According to court records from both the state and the defense, Hendrick stepped out of the conference room at some point, and Moretti executed a search warrant for King’s phone. Shortly after, BSO deputy Adam Gorel arrived at the conference room.
Moretti, court documents say, subsequently told Gorel that he should say he was present when he executed the search warrant. Moretti later asked Gorel whether he was there when the phone was taken, and Gorel said something along the lines of: “I can be if you needed me to be,” according to court records.
READ MORE: YNW Melly’s lawyers urge judge to throw out rapper’s double murder case. Here’s why
Trachman on July 12 made a complaint for King alleging that Moretti was “abrasive and confrontational,” and that the detective pushed Trachman and snatched King’s cell phone from her hands
Miramar Police began an internal inquiry into the allegations on July 19. When news broke of the inquiry in mid-August, Miramar police spokesperson Tania Rues told the Miami Herald that the detective wasn’t under investigation and simply had a complaint made against him.
Moretti, Rues said, is a “highly decorated detective” who has been with the department for more than 20 years. She also said Moretti has an “unblemished record” and has never been the target of any administrative investigations.
Witnesses spoke to Miramar police?
Jamie King: In a Sept. 6 sworn statement to Parker, King maintained that Moretti’s tone and style of questioning seemed aggressive and that the detective yelled “Give me the phone, now” before “launching” over the table, twisting her hand and seizing the phone.
Parker reminded King about how the original complaint claimed that Moretti bumped into Trachman, and King responded that Moretti walked around the table and grabbed her cell phone but didn’t “launch” over the table. She also denied trying to turn the phone off.
READ MORE: Days before retrial, YNW Melly faces a new charge. Defense says it’s a distraction
Prosecutor Michelle Boutros: In a July 27 sworn statement taken on Zoom, the prosecutor told Parker that she couldn’t see if King’s fingers were bent backward, but said Moretti bumped into Trachman. When Gorel came in, the search warrant had already been served, she said. Boutros alleged that Moretti said “You were here the whole time I served the search warrant,” and Gorel laughed awkwardly but didn’t respond.
In her interview with defense attorneys, Boutros said King grabbed the phone and “was doing something,” when Moretti tried to seize it. The detective, she claimed, then pulled the phone from King’s hands, and she screamed, Boutros said. She didn’t see exactly what happened, but she noted that King had an injury on her hand.
Boutros, in the interview, maintained that Moretti asked Gorel to say he was present but she doesn’t recall Gorel saying anything. If he did, she said, it was “nothing of substance and nothing directed towards Detective Moretti’s request, his solicitation to have him lie.”
Deputy Adam Gorel: In an Aug. 17 sworn statement, Gorel confirmed that Moretti told him he didn’t need him when he arrived to the conference room. However, Gorel said Moretti asked for his name and badge number but never told him to say that he was present during the search warrant.
“I told him, but it better not appear in any reports because I didn’t do anything at this location,” Gorel told Parker, according to the memo.
Sgt. Jason Hendrick: In an Aug. 10 sworn statement, Hendrick said he was present in the conference room because he didn’t have any deputies available at the time. He had to step out to speak to a superior and sent in Gorel, who told him the search warrant was completed by the time he arrived.
“He thought it was strange that Detective Moretti allegedly asked Deputy Gorel for his name and badge number, so he told Deputy Gorel to write a report to memorialize his involvement,” the memo says.
What did Miramar police conclude?
In the memo, Parker said recorded audio of King’s statement refutes the allegation that Moretti was aggressive during questioning. Boutros, in her interview with defense attorneys, said that there was nothing unusual about Moretti’s behavior during King’s statement.
For Parker, the accusation that Moretti used too much force was also unfounded.
“Ms. King physically and verbally resisted giving Detective Moretti her cell phone while the power-off screen suddenly appeared on the screen,” the memo says. “Detective Moretti grabbed Ms. King’s cell phone to prevent her from powering it off.”
When assessing witness statements, Parker wrote that Boutros’ sworn recorded statement contradicted what she said during King’s questioning, which was recorded. The claims about Moretti, Parker said, also contradicted Gorel’s sworn statement.
“ASA Boutros informed Miramar Internal Affairs that she did not see Ms. King attempt to turn the cell phone off, but during Ms. King’s statement ASA Boutros mentioned she saw Ms. King try to turn the cell phone off,” the memo says. “Also, Deputy Adam Gorel’s sworn recorded statement and sworn police report refuted ASA Boutros’ claims that Detective Moretti had asked Deputy Gorel to declare [that he] was present during the execution of the search warrant.”
At the end of Boutros’ interview with Melly’s defense team, the attorneys told Boutros that the state and the Miramar police department accused her of lying to others.
“Well, that’s OK.” Boutros said. “Again, I’m just here to speak my truth, and people are going to be mad at me.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 6:25 PM.
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