ATLANTA — Court was back in session on Tuesday for the high-profile YSL RICO trial after a judge postponed it in December. The racketeering conspiracy trial for rapper Young Thug and five others began in November 2023 after about 10 months of jury selection.
In December, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville dismissed the jury for the day, saying one of the defendants had “a medical issue.” Glanville told the jurors they would return the following day, but those plans changed.
The defendant in question, Shannon Stillwell, was stabbed multiple times the Sunday evening before the trial, the county sheriff's office said in a news release on December 12. They add that Stillwell was stabbed by another inmate, Willie Brown, during a fight between the two men, who were housed in the same zone.
The jail has long been plagued by violence and other problems, and a lawyer for the sheriff's office in November told state lawmakers that inmates had fashioned weapons from broken flooring and pipes. The U.S. Department of Justice announced last year that it was investigating detention conditions in Fulton County.
Prosecutors said Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, led a violent street gang called Young Slime Life or YSL, that was responsible for killings, shootings, carjackings, and other crimes over about a decade. They allege he used his successful music career and social media posts to promote the gang and establish its dominance.
Defense attorneys have said police and prosecutors relied heavily on jailhouse informants who had every reason to tell them what they wanted to hear. They have also criticized prosecutors' use of rap lyrics as evidence of crimes, saying their clients' art and free expression are being improperly used against them.
Tuesday, more witnesses took the stand.
Watch the updates from Tuesday in the video player below.