Rapper YNW Melly, facing trial on murder charges, has filed a lawsuit claiming that his conditions in a Florida jail are “cruel, unusual, and beyond belief.” Since his arrest in 2019, the rapper, born Jamell Demons, has been held in Broward County jail, where he claims he has endured severe isolation and lack of basic communication with his family. The lawsuit, filed on November 2 against Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony and his office, calls for Melly’s immediate release, asserting that his treatment violates basic human rights.

“Demons is a Black male whose current detention conditions shock the conscience,” the complaint reads. It describes the isolation Melly has experienced over the past three years, including not being allowed phone calls or any in-person visits, even from his mother. His lawyers argue that his treatment is “cruel, unusual, and beyond belief in a civilized society,” adding that his confinement would be unacceptable “even in a third-world country with no guard rails protecting human decency and dignity.”

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According to the lawsuit, Melly’s isolation worsened after an accusation in 2022 that he attempted to escape from jail, although he was later cleared of wrongdoing. Despite this, he was placed in solitary confinement, where his phone access was entirely cut off. Later that year, he was moved to a nearly empty unit lacking privileges like television or access to news, which his legal team claims has caused significant emotional damage and hindered his ability to prepare for his case.

Melly’s retrial on murder charges is set for September 10, 2025, with a pretrial meeting in a separate witness tampering case scheduled for December 5. The 25-year-old rapper stands accused of killing two childhood friends, Chris “YNW Juvy” Thomas and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, in 2018, allegedly staging the incident to look like a drive-by shooting.