Double murder charges dismissed against YNW Bortlen after accepting plea deal
Florida rapper YNW Bortlen has accepted a plea deal after being accused of taking part in a double murder.
On September 9th, he 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 rapper (real name Cortlen Henry) was sentenced to 10 years in prison and six years of probation. However, he will receive credit for time served.
His plea deal comes with the dismissal of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of witness tampering, and directing the activities of a criminal gang.
As part of the deal, Bortlen is required to provide a sworn statement to prosecutors detailing his involvement in the alleged murders.
His attorney, Joseph E Nascimento, told Pitchfork, “It’s important to note that Cortlen pled no contest today, so he has not admitted anything. 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.”
The attorney continued: “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.”
Bortlen was arrested in 2019 for the murders of YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser alongside YNW Melly, who remains in jail. The ‘Murder on My Mind’ artist’s retrial will begin in January 2027.
Police claimed that in October 2018, Melly and Bortlen staged the crime scene to appear as a drive-by shooting. Juvy and Sakchaser suffered multiple gunshot wounds, with Bortlen allegedly driving their bodies to a hospital.
Bortlen has over 333,000 Instagram followers. He released his debut album, Sport Mode, in 2023, with features from Tory Lanez and Hotboii. His song ‘Been Thru’ has over 3.5 million views on YouTube.