FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A rapper who has been in jail for several years after being accused of killing two of his childhood friends in 2019 has sued the Broward Sheriff’s Office, claiming that he has been mistreated and is demanding to be released immediately.
YNW Melly’s first trial for the double murders ended in a mistrial in 2023.
In a new lawsuit filed by YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Demons, he claims that he is being “illegally detained under conditions that violate the First, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.”
Demons’ attorney, Michael Pizzi, said meeting with lawyers has been difficult for him and his client has been unable to contact family members. He currently seeks to file a federal motion, claiming his client has been held in a form of solitary confinement and should be released from jail.
“It is the mechanism where state inmates can go in front of a federal judge to enforce their constitutional rights,” said Pizzi. “I went to visit him and spoke with him myself on several occasions, and on no occasion was I permitted to be in a room where I could show him documents.”
Jamie King, the rapper’s mother, said she has been unable to speak with her son since 2022. She said she could write him letters, but the communication is delayed.
“Sometimes when he responds, it’s to something I wrote him weeks and weeks ago,” said King.
BSO released the following statement:
The Broward Sheriff’s Office does not generally comment on pending litigation. However, the jail does not utilize ‘solitary confinement.’ Rather, Mr. Demons has been placed on administrative segregation, which is a classification resulting in an alternate living assignment for an inmate whose placement in the general population poses a serious threat to the safety of staff or inmates, or life and property.
Demons’ mother and his attorney held a press conference Monday afternoon, where she promised to continue fighting for him.
“Jamell, if you watch this today, I just want you to know I love you,” said King. “I’m going to continue fighting for you, and I just want to know that you’re OK. I just want to hear your voice and see your face, and I’m going to get you home.”
Demons’ new trial date is set for September 10, 2025. If he is found guilty, he could face the death penalty.
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