YNW Melly Scoops Lil Durk’s Winning Attorney As Lawyer Blasts His Treatment

YNW Melly has spent more than seven years behind bars without a conviction. His new powerhouse attorney Drew Findling says it is unacceptable and there is no reasonable explanation for it.

Findling recently helped secure Lil Durk’s acquittal in his federal murder for hire trial. Now, he’s turning his attention toward Melly’s long delayed double murder retrial in Florida. A federal jury cleared Durk of all charges in that Los Angeles case on Sept. 11.

During a Thursday (Sept. 24) interview with fellow attorney Moe Gangat, Findling unloaded on the length of Melly’s pretrial detention and the conditions the rapper has reportedly endured while awaiting another chance before a jury.

“A total injustice down in Florida,” Drew said. “A kid that’s been in solitary confinement for three and a half years. He’s been in [jail] since he was 19.”

Melly, nee Jamell Demons, has remained in custody since February 2019 after being charged with two counts of first degree murder in connection with the deaths of Anthony Williams, known as YNW Sakchaser, and Christopher Thomas Jr., known as YNW Juvy. They were reportedly his friends.

The case has stretched across most of Melly’s adult life.

“There’s no way that this young man of color should be seven and a half years, sitting in jail, waiting for his time to prove his innocence,” Drew added. “There’s no way that this young man of color, in 2026, should be in solitary confinement for three and a half years. Nobody can explain that to me. There’s nothing to rationalize it.”

Melly’s first murder trial ended without a verdict in July 2023 when jurors could not reach a unanimous decision.

Prosecutors elected to try him again but the second trial has faced repeated delays and legal disputes over evidence.

The next major showdown is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2027. Prosecutors are still seeking the death penalty if Melly is convicted.

Findling enters the case with considerable momentum following Durk’s acquittal. The veteran defense attorney and Durk’s legal team persuaded jurors to reject federal prosecutors’ murder for hire case after three days of deliberations.

Now after seven years, Melly’s freedom and his life will play out in the next major courtroom battle in January.