YNW Bortlen has officially taken a plea deal in his long-running legal case, but insists he did not and will not testify against his friend and collaborator, YNW Melly. Bortlen, whose real name is Cortlen Henry, reached an agreement on September 9, drastically reducing the decades he was facing behind bars.
The first-degree murder charges tied to the 2018 shooting deaths of YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy were dropped as part of the deal. Instead, Bortlen pleaded no contest to one count of witness tampering, two counts of accessory, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device. With this plea, he is expected to be released in 2031 — a significant difference from the life sentence he could have faced if convicted of murder.
Following the announcement, speculation swirled that Bortlen had provided incriminating information about Melly in exchange for leniency. However, both Bortlen and his attorney firmly deny these claims. According to them, his statement does not implicate anyone and cannot legally be used against either himself or Melly. Bortlen doubled down on his stance through an Instagram Story, writing, “For every mf playin on my name be ready to break it off later. N I see I got a few [duck emoji]s.”
Meanwhile, YNW Melly’s retrial has been delayed significantly. Originally set to begin on September 10, the retrial is now scheduled for January 2027. Melly’s first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision. While Bortlen’s plea deal does not mark the end of the case, it appears he will not be testifying against Melly, despite ongoing theories to the contrary. John M. Williams, the attorney representing YNW Sakchaser’s family, confirmed he has requested Bortlen’s deposition and expects to receive it within the coming weeks.
Source: Instagram
