YNW Melly Murder Case: Judge Declares Mistrial After Jury Couldn’t Come to Decision

YNW Melly‘s double murder case has been declared a mistrial after the jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision on if the 24-year-old rapper was guilty or not guilty. Melly, who was facing two first-degree murder charges, pleaded not guilty.

Word that the jury was having difficulty coming to an agreement on whether or not Melly was guilty came on Friday when the jury’s foreperson indicated just that. “Everyone is stuck on which side they have chosen,” the foreperson wrote on Friday, Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy said, per WPLG.

The mistrial announcement arrived after 19 days of arguments and a little over 14 hours of deliberation from the jury. According to Law & Crime Network’s Cathy Russon, a status hearing has been set for Friday, July 28.

What happens now that a mistrial has been declared in the case?

The state will have to decide whether to retry the case. If they do, the new trial will consist of an entirely new jury. If that does happen and he’s eventually found guilty, Melly, real name Jamel Demons, could face life in prison. The state has 90 days to announce its intention to retry the case. If they don’t, Melly’s team will request to have the charges dropped.