Florida rapper YNW Bortlen has accepted a plea deal in the contentious double murder trial.
The rapper pleaded no contest to one count of tampering with a witness, two counts of being an accessory to a capital felony, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
The plea agreement means prosecutors have dropped several of the most serious charges against him, including two counts of first-degree murder, an additional witness tampering charge, and accusations of directing the activities of a criminal gang.
As part of the deal, Bortlen was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by six years of probation. He will receive credit for time already served and must also provide a sworn statement detailing his role in the alleged crimes.
YNW Bortlen takes a “GUNNA PLEA” meaning he pleads guilty to acccessory to murder which basically confirms and will be used against Ynw Melly that a murder was commited and he was part of it. Ynw Melly whole defense was that he wasn’t in the car or didn’t murder his friends.… pic.twitter.com/XZXD3SYFoR
— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) September 9, 2025
Prosecutors accuse Melly of pulling the trigger in the 2018 murders of YNW associates Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. They alleged that Bortlen helped cover up the killings. Melly, whose first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year, remains in jail awaiting retrial.
“It’s important to note that Cortlen pled no contest today, so he has not admitted anything,” Joseph E. “Joe” Nascimento, an attorney for YNW Bortlen, told Pitchfork.
“There is no requirement or expectation that he cooperate with the prosecution against his co-defendant in the case, nor do I anticipate that he will be called as a witness by either side, so his plea should not be construed as an admission of any kind, nor can it be used against him or anybody else. Trial was set to begin tomorrow, and he was facing multiple counts of mandatory life sentences if found guilty, so this plea was in his best interest to mitigate any exposure, and so that’s why he decided to move forward today.”