YNW Melly prosecutors asks judge to keep juror names hidden in retrial

The Broward County State Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to seal the names of the jurors in YNW Melly’s double murder retrial, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

“There is evidence that suggests potential or seated jurors in the upcoming jury trial will be subjected to improper outside influences or harassment,” lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley wrote in the motion, asking Judge John Murphy to identify the jurors by number instead of by name.

According to the Sun Sentinel, Miami police found a notebook containing the names and physical descriptions of some of the juror’s in Melly’s first trial — declared a mistrial in July — when they searched his co-defendant YNW Bortlen’s home while arresting him for witness tampering.

Bradley’s motion also cites a letter she reportedly received from one of the nine jurors who voted to convict Melly in his first trial, advising that she downplay Melly’s alleged gang affiliation and stick to the facts of the case. “Due to the fact that Mr. Demons is somehow related to the so-called ‘gang’ activity, you are brave to go forward a second time around,” the letter’s author apparently wrote, omitting the last two letters of “gang.”

Melly’s retrial was scheduled to begin this past Monday (October 9) but has been delayed while the judge rules on more than a dozen combined motions from both the prosecution and defense. Melly’s team has filed motions to recuse the Broward County State Attorney’s Office from the case, and to dismiss the case entirely, based on Bradley’s alleged cover-up of misconduct by the case’s lead detective, Mark Moretti. Judge Murphy heard arguments on the motion to recuse last Friday (October 6). A hearing on the motion to dismiss is scheduled for this Friday, October 13.

To learn more about the complex, ongoing situation, read The FADER’s in-depth explainer of YNW Melly’s murder trial.