The YNW Melly trial has taken another dramatic turn, as it’s been revealed the lead prosecutor has been removed from the case.
According to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Assistant State Attorney Kristine Bradley — who has been added to the defense’s witness list — could not serve as the lead prosecutor as a result. As such, she’s been removed from case.
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But the ruling, which was handed down on Thursday (October 12), wasn’t a total win for the defense. In the same ruling, Judge John Murphy ruled that State Attorney Harold Pryor and two key deputies couldn’t be compelled to testify. As such, YNW Melly’s lawyers were unsuccessful in getting the case dismissed in its entirety.
Jury selection must commence by the end of next week, per Florida law.
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Previously, the “Murder on My Mind” rapper (real name Jamell Demons) accused the prosecution of underhanded tricks to try to secure a conviction. Specifically, Melly’s team claims that the case’s lead detective Mark Moretti asked a Broward Sheriff’s deputy to lie about being present when Moretti executed a search warrant, and used excessive force while executing the warrant — on Melly’s mother Jamie King — as well.
Assistant State Attorney Michelle Boutros is caught in the middle. She was present during the interrogation at issue, and accused Moretti of unethical behavior when she talked to defense lawyers. Melly’s attorneys called the whole thing a coverup.
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However, an investigation by the internal affairs department of the Miramar Police department came to the conclusion that Boutros’s statements about Moretti contradicted what she said in the moment, as well as the accounts of other witnesses, all of which found no issues with the detective’s actions.
Because of all of this, YNW Melly’s lawyers asked the entire state attorney’s office to be recused from any participation in the case, either as prosecutors or witnesses — including lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley.
Meanwhile, YNW Melly has also been accused of witness tampering by that same state attorney’s office, which the rapper’s lawyers are saying is merely a “distraction” from their misconduct.
Melly’s double murder retrial was originally scheduled to begin on October 9 after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict in July’s trial.
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The 24-year-old stands accused of murdering his friends YNW Sakchaser (real name Anthony Williams) and YNW Juvy (real name Christopher Thomas Jr.) in October 2018, and then staging the crime scene to look like a drive-by shooting.
