A rising Florida rapper who publicly mourned the deaths of two close friends and called them members of one rap “family” has now been charged with their murders.
Cortlen Henry, 20, an associate of Demons, has also been charged in connection with the slayings, according to the Miramar Police Department.
Demons and Henry are both being held at Broward County without bond.
“Jamell Demons, aka YNW Melly & Cortlen Henry have been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder,” the police wrote in a statement, adding, “the victims, Anthony Williams & Christopher Thomas Jr., were killed on 10/26/2018.”
“The investigation, supported by forensic evidence, has concluded that Demons shot and killed Williams & Thomas Jr. and that Demons and Henry staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting,” authorities said.
‘I Am Turning Myself In’
Both of the victims were friends with Demons and part of the same musical group, in which Williams went by the stage name YNW Sackchaser and Thomas was known as YNW Juvy. Demons wrote on Instagram Wednesday afternoon that he was turning himself in to police in connection with the deaths of his associates, but appeared to deny any involvement.“I am turning myself in today I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all,” the Instagram post reads.
Demons wrote, “a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice ... unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said.”
Then he called the victims part of the “ynw Family,” posting “we want y’all to remember it’s a ynw Family I love you @ynwsakchaser1 and @ynwjuvy.”
In October, Demons’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, was cited by Rolling Stone as saying that his client was “sad, he’s upset, obviously. Those were his best friends.”
Demons was cited by the Sun-Sentinel as writing on social media just one day after the killings: “They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy I know y’all watching over me … and after, they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box...”
‘Murder On My Mind’
The single “Murder on My Mind” went gold and debuted at No. 73 on the Billboard charts last year, according to Rolling Stone. The song has over 88 million views on YouTube and includes the lyrics, “I didn’t even mean to shoot ‘em, he just caught me by surprise, I reloaded my pistol, cocked it back, and shot him twice. His body dropped down to the floor and he had teardrops in his eye.”
He spent a year in prison as a 16-year-old after he was involved in a shooting outside his high school, in which no one was injured, but he was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon.
