VIENNA, AUSTRIA – JULY 6: Lil Tjay performs at day 2 of Rolling Loud Europe 2024 at Magna Racino on July 6, 2024 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Mario Skraban/Getty Images)

Melly has been behind bars since 2019 facing a serious murder trial, and Lil Tjay has supported him throughout the ordeal.

Since February 2019, YNW Melly has been behind bars awaiting trial in the double-murder case that has become one of Hip Hop’s longest-running legal sagas. Prosecutors allege that Melly, born Jamell Demons, fatally shot fellow YNW crew members Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. in October 2018 before staging the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting. Melly was arrested months later and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted.

In 2023, Melly’s first murder trial ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Since then, the case has remained tied up in court as both prosecutors and defense attorneys continue to battle over evidence details. A retrial has been repeatedly delayed by legal disputes, keeping Melly incarcerated for seven years without a conviction. Throughout the case, he has maintained his innocence, while his friends, like Lil Tjay, hold Melly down while incarcerated.

Lil Tjay Has Long Supported YNW Melly

The two rappers have collaborated, even as Melly was behind bars. Recently, Tjay sat down with XXL and spoke about his friendship with Melly, admitting they talk regularly. “I [speak] with Melly a great amount of time,” Tjay said. “You know our birthdays are one day apart. And out of all the rappers, that’s one the closest [friends] I ever been to a rapper. That’s my other twin.” Tjay has also taken to social media to say Free Melly.

Back in 2025, Jamie Demon-King, YNW Melly’s mother, took to Instagram to voice her frustrations with his retrial. After being locked up for seven years, the rapper and his loved ones are looking for a resolution sooner rather than later. “Please make it make sense,” she said at the time. “We still have three or four more things up on appeal with the Fourth District Court of Appeal. So, we’re still kinda like in a stay… At this point, they need to just dismiss the case.”