YNW Melly Suing For Alleged “Cruel” Treatment While Locked Up, Seeks Release

Here’s a shocker. YNW Melly, the rapper whose legal name is Jamell Demons, has filed a lawsuit against the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), alleging “cruel” treatment and constitutional rights violations while in detention. Seeking release while awaiting retrial, Demons claims he has endured extreme isolation and restrictions that impede contact with his attorney, Michael Pizzi Jr., according to a report from NBC Miami.

In the lawsuit, Demons argues that he is being “illegally detained under conditions that violate the First, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.” Among the complaints is the claim that he has been unable to see his family for years, experiencing “debilitating isolation,” and faces severe limitations on communication with his lawyer.

“His cruel treatment by the Broward Detention authorities warrants his immediate release from pretrial detention since the detaining authorities have shown such a callous disregard for his human dignity Right to Counsel,” the lawsuit states.

Responding to these interesting allegations in a statement to XXL, the BSO denied any wrongdoing. “The Broward Sheriff’s Office does not generally comment on pending litigation,” the BSO responded, “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.”

Get this, Pizzi reiterated the claims in a separate memo to the outlet, saying, “We are asking a Federal Judge to Order the immediate release of Jemell Demons (a.k.a. Melly) because the Broward County jail system has been violating his Constitutional Rights.”

The lawsuit follows a mistrial in Demons’s double murder case from July 2023. Demons faces charges for the 2018 shooting deaths of Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, 21, and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas, 19. The mistrial was declared after the jury deliberated for two days without reaching a verdict.

As for Judge Murphy, while addressing the jury after the mistrial, expressed gratitude for their efforts: “Our system doesn’t work without getting people from the community to come in here and listen to the facts of the case and make decisions. You gave us the time and you put your best effort to see if you could bring this case to a resolution, unfortunately, it wasn’t able to happen but I want to thank you again for your time and consideration of the case.”

According to NBC Miami, a new trial date is set for September 10, 2025, with a pretrial meeting scheduled for December 5, 2024, following recent allegations of evidence tampering.

Sheesh. September 2025. That’s a ways away.