YNW Melly told deputies "not going to court" and skipped his motions hearing; his lawyer calls it a mix-up

YNW Melly refused to go to his own court hearing on Monday, Nov. 2.

YNW Melly refused to go to his own court hearing on Monday, Nov. 2. Broward Sheriff's Office deputies filed a notice of inmate refusal with the Broward County Clerk saying they told the rapper, legally Jamell Demons, that the appearance was mandatory. He disobeyed the order, and the reason he gave was written down word for word: "Not going to court." It was the all-pending-motions hearing in his double murder case, about two months before his retrial, and reports say it's the second time this year he has refused to appear.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, his attorney told Broward Circuit Judge Martin S. Fein it was a misunderstanding. According to the attorney, Melly believed his lawyer wasn't appearing Monday and had been told he didn't need to be transported when that happens. The motions hearing has been rescheduled for two days, Nov. 23 and 24, at 9 AM, according to the Broward clerk's schedule.

Melly has been locked up since February 2019, charged with first-degree murder in the October 2018 deaths of his friends YNW Juvy (Christopher Thomas Jr.) and YNW Sakchaser (Anthony Williams). His first trial ended in a hung-jury mistrial in July 2023, Judge Fein denied him bond in May 2026, and jury selection for the retrial is set to begin Jan. 6, 2027. He has pleaded not guilty.