A Florida rapper who publicly mourned the October deaths of two close friends is now accused of killing them and covering up the crime.
YNW Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons, was arrested Wednesday night and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, the Miramar Police Department said in a tweet.
Police said Demons, 19, shot Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in October and staged the scene with the help of Cortlen Henry, 20, to make the shootings appear to be a drive-by.
Henry has also been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Demons, who released the songs "Melly the Menace" and "Murder On My Mind" last year, addressed the deaths in an Instagram post Wednesday before his arrest.
"I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all, a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice," he wrote. "Unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother."
Demons tagged the Instagram profiles of Williams and Thomas, rappers who performed as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, respectively.
"I love you @ynwsakchaser1 and @ynwjuvy #freeus," Demons wrote.
Williams, 21, and Thomas, 19, were shot early Oct. 26 in Miramar, which is about 30 miles northwest of Miami. Police said Henry drove the pair to the hospital just after 4:30 a.m. ET, where they were pronounced dead. Williams and Thomas were both shot multiple times.
Henry gave a statement to police after the slayings, but authorities this week said his account did not line up with what officials discovered.
"Further investigation, supported by forensic evidence, concluded that Demons shot and killed Williams and Thomas Jr., and that Demons and Henry staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting," police said.
A day after the slayings, Demons posted a photo of him with Williams and Thomas, writing: "They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy. I know y’all watching over me."
A spokeswoman for the Miramar Police Department on Thursday declined to detail the evidence that led to the arrests of Demons and Henry. Calls made by NBC News to an attorney for Demons were not immediately returned.
Both Demons and Henry remained in jail Thursday.
