YNW Melly’s confidant strikes plea deal in double murder case. Will he testify?
READ MORE
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.
Expand All
Rapper YNW Melly’s confidant and co-defendant — accused of participating in the murder of two associates in 2019 and covering up the killings to look like a drive-by shooting — accepted a plea deal in Broward court Tuesday afternoon.
Cortlen Henry, shackled and in red jail attire, entered a no-contest plea to accessory after the fact and witness tampering charges before Broward Circuit Court Judge Martin Fein. Through the deal, prosecutors dropped the two murder charges — and shipped Henry, 26, off to prison for 10 years — in exchange for his plea.
He was facing several life sentences, if he had taken the case to trial. In a no-contest plea, a defendant accepts a conviction and sentence without admitting guilt.
Last week, prosecutors offered Henry 16 years in prison in exchange for the plea. Under the deal’s new terms, he will serve six years of probation after his release. Henry will be released from prison a few years early as he has served a little over four-and-a-half years in jail.
Will he testify in Melly’s trial?
Henry will also give a “proffer at a later time,” prosecutor Taylor Collins said during the hearing. In a proffer, a defendant provides information to prosecutors in exchange for a plea deal or leniency.
It’s unclear if Henry will testify against Melly as a result of the proffer. After the hearing, Henry’s defense attorney Fred Haddad said prosecutors will ask him a “couple questions” and he will not be a witness in Melly’s retrial.
“Cortlen Henry is not a snitch, and he will not be cooperating or testifying in Melly’s trial,” Haddad said in a statement Wednesday night. “Anyone who claims differently has not seen the plea deal and has no idea what they’re talking about.”
After Henry entered his plea, Fein found him guilty of the charges. He smiled at news cameras as a court deputy took his fingerprints.
Attorney Joe Nascimento, also representing Henry, told reporters that Henry didn’t admit guilt in his no-contest plea and accepted the deal so that he could have a future in which he’s not behind bars for the rest of his life.
“It’s a hard decision to make, regardless of what you think about your chances at trial,” Nascimento said. “Regardless of how strong your case is, you’re looking at life.”
Henry was arrested alongside Melly in 2019. He and Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, were accused of gunning down friends Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in an alleged drive-by 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.
Henry, also known as YNW Bortlen, was initially out on bond pending trial on the murder charges but was arrested again on witness tampering charges in October 2023. Prosecutors alleged that Henry, Melly and fellow inmate Terrence Mathis collaborated to keep Mariah Hamilton, Melly’s ex-girlfriend, away from testifying.
The witness tampering charges came after Melly’s first trial in 2023 ended in a mistrial after jurors couldn’t reach a verdict. Melly, whose trial is now scheduled for 2027 after several delays, is facing the death penalty, if convicted.
Henry’s plea ends one chapter in the high-profile and complex case, which has dragged on in the court system for more than six years.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM.
.png)