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YNW Bortlen Takes Plea, Receives 10 Years as Murder Counts Are Dropped

Prosecutors will obtain a sworn statement that could shape evidence in YNW Melly’s 2027 retrial.

Cortlen Henry, known as the rap star YNW Bortlen and co-defendant of YNW Melly, enters a Broward County courtroom on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. He is set to plead no contest to accessory to murder in the shooting deaths of rappers Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. Prosecutors say Henry was the driver when Melly opened fire, then helped stage the scene to look like a drive-by. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
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Overview

  • Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry entered a no-contest plea one day before jury selection in his case was set to begin.
  • He pleaded to accessory-after-the-fact and select witness-tampering counts as prosecutors dismissed two first-degree murder charges and other counts.
  • The negotiated sentence is 10 years in prison followed by six years of probation, with credit for time already served.
  • A state attorney’s office spokesperson says Henry must give a sworn statement, while his lawyer says he is not required to testify against Jamell “YNW Melly” Demons.
  • Attorneys for a victim’s family have requested Henry’s deposition in related civil litigation, and Melly’s retrial is scheduled for January 2027 after a 2023 mistrial.