Rapper YNW Melly is facing the death penalty, according to a report from TMZ. The 19-year-old Florida rapper has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and authorities are reportedly looking to maximize the charges.
It is believed that Melly and his associate, YNW Bortlen, arranged the crime scene to look like a drive-by shooting after taking their friends’ lives.
The death penalty is available because of what prosecutors believe they can prove, TMZ notes.
In the docs, the State says it believes it can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Melly killed his friends for financial gain, the murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, and he committed homicide in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner. The State also believes Melly is a criminal gang member.
Florida is just one of three states where the death penalty remains an option for convicted criminals.
YNW Melly, best known for his song “Murder on my Mind,” was initially arrested in the connection of his the murders of his two lifelong friends, YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy. It was believed that he shot and killed the two aspiring rappers between him and Bortlen staged the scene to look like a drive-by shooting. Williams and Thomas were pronounced dead at the emergency room entrance of Memorial Hospital Miramar in the wee hours of the morning on October 26, 2018. YNW Melly is also believed to be involved in the shooting death of an off-duty deputy, Gary Chambliss, in Gifford two years ago.
