Why was YNW Melly name-dropped in a Syracuse murder trial? Suspect's alleged Google search, explained

A New York man on trial for murder blamed his interest in YNW Melly's case for his suspicious Google search history. On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Syracuse.com published an article detailing a high-profile trial in Syracuse, New York, involving Jauquell Flagg, who participated in a deadly shooting in May 2023.

On May 29 last year, four men opened fire from a stolen Chevrolet Malibu, killing 44-year-old Desmond Jones and injuring three others. During the opening statements, prosecutor Rob Moran alleged that Flagg was one of the four suspects based on a Google search found on his phone.

However, Flagg's lawyer argued that his client was a fan of rapper YNW Melly and was simply keeping up with the rapper's trial. Melly was arrested and charged with the murder of his friends, YNW SakChaser and YNW Juvy.

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Jauquell Flagg's Google Search about YNW Melly's trial was done on May 30, 2023

Per Syracuse.com, Rob Moran, who opened first, gave a detailed timeline of Jauquell Flagg's movements leading up to the crime. He alleged that Flagg was driving in his mother's car all day before parking near the Chevrolet Malibu. As evidence, he showed a video of a Jeep in the parking lot near the Malibu, which later goes missing.

Moran claimed that just 24 hours after the shooting, Flagg made an online search, trying to find what a jury needs to convict someone of murder. Moran added that the latter erased the search history soon after.

Per the publication, Flagg's attorney, Shawn Chase, justified the search, saying his client was an avid fan of rap and YNW Melly. Chase did not address why the search history was deleted.

YNW Melly, a.k.a. Jamell Maurice Demons rose to fame after dropping his track Murder on My Mind in 2018. In February 2019, he was arrested for the murder of his friends YNW Juvy (a.k.a. Christopher Thomas Jr.) and YNW SakChaser (a.k.a. Anthony D'Andre Williams), which took place at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in October 2018.

Melly was charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder.

His trial began on June 12, 2023, after several delays. The rapper pleaded not guilty, claiming someone opened fire on him and his friends as they left the New Era Recording Studio. However, prosecutors argued that YNW Melly shot the two men and staged a drive-by.

The trial ended after the jury couldn't come to a unanimous decision. On July 22, 2023, a judge declared a mistrial. YNW Melly remained in custody after a judge declined to grant the rapper bond.

To be noted, Jauquell Flagg's Google search about YNW Melly was done on May 30, 2023. However, the jury selection for the rapper's case began on April 11, 2023.

Melly's new trial date was initially set for October 2023. Per a July 2024 report by NBC Miami, following multiple delays that included the rapper facing additional charges of witness tampering, the new date is set for September 10, 2025 (with the pre-trial date for December 5, 2024).

Melly or his spokesperson has not publicly reacted to the development.