ATLANTA — Court is back in session Thursday in the high-profile YSL trial featuring Atlanta rapper Young Thug.
The trial, which has become the longest-running in Georgia's history, saw multiple plea deals this week as the possibility of a mistrial hangs over the proceedings.
Recent plea deals
On Wednesday, Rodalius 'Lil Rod' Ryan pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and was sentenced to 10 years to serve, but it was commuted to time served to run concurrently with a life sentence he is already serving for an unrelated murder. This means he will serve no extra time outside the existing life sentence.
Ryan's murder conviction is currently under appeal. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear his appeal next month.
Marquavious Huey also entered in a negotiated plea, pleading guilty to one count of RICO violation and accepted reduced sentences on charges of robbery (reduced from armed robbery) and firearms possession charges. He was sentenced to 25 years, with nine years in custody, 11 on probation, and five years to be suspended.
On Tuesday, defendant Quamarvious Nichols entered in a guilty plea on one count, the RICO charge, while the rest of his charges were dismissed. He was given the negotiated recommended sentence of seven years in prison and 13 more on probation. With credit for time served in the more-than-two-year-long legal process with this case, his remaining jail time will be about five years.
Young Thug, YSL trial live stream
Where the mistrial motion came from
Controversy follows the trial after a new witness, rapper Slimelife Shawty, took the stand last Wednesday.
While on the stand, Slimelife Shawty, whose real name is Wunnie Lee, was asked to identify others involved in the case based on social media posts. While reading a caption for one of the posts in question, Lee accidentally read an unredacted version on the paper exhibit instead of the redacted version displayed on a monitor.
The unredacted version featured the hashtag #FreeQua, which Lee read aloud to the jury. Defense teams quickly moved for a mistrial as the jury was not supposed to know which defendants had been incarcerated.
Following the mishap, Judge Paige Whitaker excused the jury and witness and instantly began admonishing the prosecution.
Whitaker told the defense while she would not agree to a mistrial with prejudice, she left the possibility open for a mistrial without prejudice, meaning the case would end, but the State could retry it. The trial, which began in November 2023, is already the longest in Georgia state history.
More Recent Developments
Contempt Order Reversed for Young Thug's Attorney
In June, Steel was held in contempt, arrested, and ordered by then-presiding Judge Ural Glanville to serve 20 days in the Fulton County Jail. He later appealed the order and was granted bond, avoiding jail time while the contempt charge was being appealed.
On Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court officially reversed the contempt order, ruling that "the evidence did not support a contempt finding because he did not interfere with the court’s administration of justice, his information was protected by attorney-client privilege, and due process required the judge to recuse from the contempt proceeding."
The ruling states that a different judge should have presided over the contempt hearing since Glanville was involved in the alleged "controversy."
Mounk Tounk's Plea Agreement Controversy
Fulton County prosecutors are seeking to revoke the probation of Antonio Sledge, also known as Mounk Tounk, alleging that he violated the terms of his plea agreement during his testimony in the ongoing YSL RICO trial.
Sledge, a former co-defendant in the case, took a plea deal in December 2022, agreeing to testify truthfully about criminal activities involving Young Slime Life (YSL). In return, he was sentenced to 15 years of probation.
According to a motion filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Sledge "knowingly and willfully" contradicted key elements of his plea deal while on the stand last month.
The plea agreement required Sledge to acknowledge 16 factual statements. However, during his testimony, Sledge walked back several of those statements, leading prosecutors to argue that he failed to fulfill the obligations of the plea.
Judge Whitaker's Criticism of Prosecution
Whitaker delivered fiery remarks to the prosecution, suggesting the team is "so unorganized that you are throwing this case together as you try it."
"I can't figure out what it is," Whitaker said to prosecutors in the courtroom Monday afternoon. "But it is baffling to me that somebody with the number of years of experience that you have, time after time after time, continues to seemingly purposefully hide the ball to the extent that you possibly can for as long as you possibly can."
Whitaker appeared frustrated as she shared strong words with Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love over how she was handling the case. The judge's words were in response to a dispute over hearsay evidence the prosecution attempted to introduce via a witness. Atlanta rapper Young Thug's attorney, Keith Adams, called for a mistrial.
"This case is being made much more difficult for everybody because of the haphazard way in which it is being presented," Whitaker said to Love before calling for a recess.
Upon her return, Whitaker ultimately denied the motion, saying she didn't believe Love was trying to get a mistrial just to try the case again. She explained that she hoped it was just "poor lawyering" from the prosecution.