"They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy. I know y'all watching over me," Jamell Demons, aka YNW Melly, wrote on Instagram on Oct. 27, 2018.

About three and a half months later, the rising rapper from Gifford, along with one of his fellow area rappers, was arrested and charged with the murders of those friends.

Christopher Thomas Jr., 19, of Gifford, and Anthony Williams, 21, of Fort Pierce, both were driven to Memorial Hospital Miramar about 4:35 a.m. Oct. 26, police said.

"They arrived with multiple gunshot wounds. They were dead already," said Miramar police spokeswoman Tania Rues.

Thomas went by the stage name YNW Juvy, while Williams was known as YNW Sakchaser.

More:Gifford rapper YNW Melly documentary gives eerie look at friendship with murdered artists

Both were connected to Demons, a prominent 19-year-old rapper from Gifford.

More:Treasure Coast rappers YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser shot and killed in South Florida

According to an indictment by a grand jury last week, Demons and his friend, Cortlen Henry, 20, aka YNW Bortlen, orchestrated the killing. Police said Feb. 13 that an investigation with forensic evidence led them to believe that the drive-by had been staged and Demons shot his friends.

Demons turned himself in to officials in Broward County late Feb. 13.

Henry, of Vero Beach, was arrested in Texas and extradited to Broward County on Feb. 12.

More:Grand jury indictment: YNW Melly fired the gun, killing the friends he grew up with

"A couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want (sic) to find justice," Demons said in an Instagram post that went up Wednesday before he turned himself in. "... Unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother (Henry).

Both Demons and Henry were charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Henry also was charged with two counts of accessory after the fact.

The charges carry the possibility of the death penalty.

More:YNW Melly, Vero Beach grad arrested in South Florida, charged with Treasure Coast rappers' murder

Criminal history

This is not Demons' first run-in with the law.

On Oct. 19, 2015, when he was 16 years old, he was charged with firing a gun at a group of people near Vero Beach High School, but not on school property, police said.

The shooting came about a month after two students from the Freshman Learning Center were charged with carrying guns on campus. The students told authorities and their attorney they were carrying the guns for self-defense.

State troopers arrested Demons, Henry and Williams in June 2018 after finding three Glock handguns and large containers filled with marijuana in an SUV south of Fort Myers, court records show.

A group of five was en route to a performance in Bradenton when their Cadillac Escalade was clocked at 95 mph on Interstate 75, according to arrest affidavits.

Demons and Henry were arrested on weapons charges, though prosecutors opted not to pursue the felony cases. Williams was arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana charge that prosecutors also dropped.

In January, Demons pleaded no contest to possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and was given a 25-day jail sentence.

Blossoming rap career and early life

Demons, who announced he was signed to Young Thug's record label, YSL Records, in September, is seen as a rising star in the Florida rap scene.

He has more than a million social media followers, and his most famous song, "Murder on my Mind," has more than 88 million views on YouTube. The track was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Demons released a song with Kanye West in January that has 17 million views on YouTube. Henry posted a video of himself and Demons recording with West on social media.

Both songs were charting on Billboard's Hot 100 in the weeks leading up to his arrest.

He was set to perform with Broward County rapper Kodak Black on his "Dying to Live" tour this spring.

When he was in fifth grade, Demons placed first in a school spelling bee, according to a brief in the Indian River Press Journal's archives. He won the spelling bee by spelling the word "oxygen."