MIAMI, FLORIDA: Mariah Hamilton, the ex-girlfriend of rapper YNW Melly who is accused of killing his two best friends, has alleged that the police are threatening her.
The 24-year-old is awaiting his second trial in Broward County, Florida, after the first one ended with a hung jury in July.
The artist is accused of the double murder of Anthony ‘YNW Sakchaser’ Williams and Christopher ‘YNW Juvy’ Thomas Jr in October 2018.
Police had charged YNW Melly and co-accused Cortlen Henry with two counts of murder. The latter was granted bail with certain conditions. He, too, faces life in prison, if convicted.
Melly has been under police custody since his arrest in 2019. Meanwhile, both men have pleaded not guilty to the crime.
Who is Felicia Holmes?
Felicia Holmes, the mother of Mariah Hamilton, was called upon by the prosecutors during the first trial to the stand.
Since Hamilton was 17 at the time of the shooting, she gave a statement to police in 2018. The police believe she was nearby during the phone call, as per her statement.
During the questioning, Holmes got into an argument with lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley and claimed she felt threatened by both the prosecutor’s office and the police department.
Bradley is believed to have tried multiple times to get Holmes to testify about her 2018 statement to the police, though the court had previously ruled that the statement wouldn’t be allowed.
What did Mariah Hamilton say?
Hamilton and Holmes gave an interview to Law and Crime's 'Sidebar' podcast alongside her attorney Christopher Beres. This was also the first time Hamilton spoke to the media about the case or trial.
Mariah Hamilton told the host Jesse Weber, “I’m currently wanted. I’ve tried to get the warrant lifted plenty of times but it’s just been a constant battle with my lawyer and the prosecutor. So I’ve just been laying low trying to get the warrant lifted before I could even come in and speak my part.”
She added, “I just want people to know that I’m not running because of any money or anything like that. It’s because I don’t want to go to jail for something that I didn’t do or something that I’m not a part of. I just feel like they’re looking at me wrong and what they’re showing is not true.”
Hamilton also explained why the police reached out to her in the first place. “Because I was his girlfriend at the time, they thought I knew more than what I telling them. Which I didn’t. So they were just harassing me. When the situation first happened, I was threatened. I was 17, about to turn 18. They came to my house telling me they were going to arrest me on accessory after the fact. My mom didn’t know what to do.”
