There’s a new prosecutor for YNW Melly trial, and she had a role in another rapper case
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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 taking over YNW Melly’s double murder case presented herself in court on Tuesday. And earlier this year, she prosecuted another high-profile rapper case.
Prosecutor Alixandra Buckelew, who was on the team that tried the three men convicted of rapper XXXTentacion, is now on Melly’s case. Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams and Trayvon Newsome were each handed down two life sentences in April for gunning down XXXTentacion during a 2018 heist in Broward County.
READ MORE: Prosecutor removed from the YNW Melly murder case days before retrial. What happened?.
The change in prosecutor came days after Broward Circuit Court Judge John Murphy removed lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley from the rapper’s case “out of an abundance of caution.”
Buckelew’s first appearance was marked by a back-and-forth with Melly’s defense team over a possible extension to try the rapper. She asked Murphy to give her until December to learn the details in the case. However, under Melly’s right to a speedy trial, the retrial should begin by Oct. 20.
The state has proposed swearing in a jury panel this week and sending jurors home, which would give Buckelew an opportunity to catch up, the defense to question new witnesses and Murphy to rule on pending motions.
“I cannot even begin to approximate the time,” Buckelew said when asked about the jury selection timeline.
Jury selection will begin Wednesday morning.
Why was Bradley removed?
Murphy’s decision to oust Bradley was linked to allegations of wrongdoing by Miramar Police Detective Mark Moretti in an October 2022 incident. Michelle Boutros, a Broward prosecutor of 20 years assigned to the Public Corruption Unit, testified in court about Moretti’s alleged misconduct.
The defense accused Bradley of not turning over Brady material related to the incident with the detective during the first trial. 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.
READ MORE: Prosecutor accused detective in YNW Melly case of lying. She’s now a defense witness
“Even though it is far from conclusive, the court is sufficiently concerned about whether Ms. Bradley has departed from her role as a zealous advocate for the state and is now personally invested in the credibility determinations of Detective Moretti and Ms. Boutros and the outcome of the trial,” Murphy said.
Melly, 24, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is accused of gunning down his childhood friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in a drive-by cover-up after spending the night of Oct. 26, 2018, at a Fort Lauderdale recording studio. Williams and Thomas, both aspiring rappers with the YNW collective, were known as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, respectively.
Melly is among the first defendants to go to trial after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law to lower the threshold for a death sentence to an 8-4 jury vote, from the previous requirement for a unanimous vote.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 10:35 AM.
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