On January 26, 2025, Mariah Hamilton-the ex-girlfriend of famous rapper YNW Melly-was arrested in Miami-Dade County on suspicion of witness tampering, just another complication in the high-profile double murder case against Melly over the accused killings of his friends, YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser back in 2018. Apart from the legal fallout, Hamilton’s case has given pause to witness intimidation, strong-arm tactics by police, and how hip-hop collides with criminal justice.
Hamilton had been deeply embroiled in Melly’s case since her failure to appear for his first trial, which ended in a mistrial in July 2023. Prosecutors say Melly’s cohorts pressured her into evading testimony, using digital communications and coded jailhouse conversations as evidence. Hamilton and her lawyers, however, describe the events as law enforcement intimidation under threat of arrest.
“She was a teenager when this all began, and she’s been placed in an impossible position,”
Her attorney said.
“She was never served with a subpoena, yet she’s being treated as a fugitive.”
Legal experts say the prosecution’s move to arrest Hamilton was a strategic move to strengthen its case against Melly, who is scheduled for a retrial on September 10, 2025. The prosecution might use Hamilton’s custody to pressure her into testifying, which could dramatically alter the course of the trial.
According to prosecutors, YNW Melly and co-defendant YNW Bortlen conspired in coded language to influence witnesses’ testimony. According to court records, he referred to Hamilton as “Rihanna,” using the nickname “A$AP Rocky’s baby mama” over discussions of her so that suspicions might not arise.
Investigators with the State Attorney’s Office claim Melly, who was allowed restricted telephone access, contacted Hamilton and her mother, Felicia Holmes, indirectly through Terrence Mathis, another inmate.
Perhaps one of the most striking elements in the case against Hamilton is how social media has factored into it. Leaked Instagram messages show YNW Bortlen attempting to influence testimony and offering money for that. Those, along with intercepted jailhouse calls using coded language, have fueled allegations of a witness-tampering scheme orchestrated from behind bars.
However, Hamilton says any real pressure came from law enforcement. In an interview recently, she said investigators threatened to charge her as an accessory if she did not implicate Knox.
“They told me I could go to jail if I didn’t say what they wanted to hear,”
She said.
Authorities claim Mathis made more than 60 prison calls to Bortlen between March and August 2023, passing along messages imploring Hamilton not to testify. Prosecutors’ filings also indicate Melly passed notes handwritten to other inmates, using nonverbal communication to avoid detection.
The arrest of Hamilton is the latest in a line of high-profile cases that reflect the broader pattern where hip-hop becomes inextricably linked to larger cultural narratives through legal battles. From Tupac Shakur to Tekashi 6ix9ine, rappers have long been scrutinized in the courtroom, often under claims that their lyrics and lifestyles are directly influencing criminal activity.
Music industry experts say the case of Melly illuminates the systemic biases against hip-hop clients.
“There’s an ongoing perception that rap music is a confession booth,” said entertainment attorney Lisa Ramírez. “But realistically, it’s stuff that the artists find themselves tried more often than not outside of a courtroom with the court of public opinions.”
For Hamilton, this carries very severe legal consequences. If found guilty of witness tampering, she may go away for years in prison and be charged with enormous fines apart from harboring a permanent criminal record. A subsequent effect of this incident, regarding future litigations, might be that no one will believe a single word she utters in court.
Hamilton’s arrest adds further uncertainty to Melly’s retrial, which is set to proceed later this year. The first trial ended in a hung jury, but prosecutors are determined to secure a conviction this time.
