After a three-week break, the Fulton County gang and racketeering trial against rapper Young Thug and five of his alleged associates continued Tuesday.
The Grammy winning musician, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is accused of being the leader of “Young Slime Life,” which prosecutors say is a south Atlanta gang responsible for a spate or shootings, robberies, drug sales and the deaths of at least three people.
The star’s attorneys say YSL stands for Young Stoner Life and is simply the name of Young Thug’s record label.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Here are some of the things you might have missed from the first two weeks of trial:
Opening statements
It took 10 months to select a jury in the sprawling, high-profile case, but the trial officially began Nov. 27 with the state’s opening statements. Likening the musician to a wolf, Fulton prosecutors argued Williams was the head of his “pack” and used his wealth, fame and notoriety to advance the interests of the alleged gang.
In his opening remarks, Williams’ attorney, Brian Steel, told jurors his client is a chart-topping superstar who used his talent to pull himself and his loved ones out of abject poverty in Atlanta’s housing projects. Williams is innocent of the charges, Steel told the jury, adding that his client’s stage moniker, Thug, stands for “Truly Humbled Under God.”
Delays abound
The first day of trial was delayed for hours after defense attorneys complained that the prosecution hadn’t turned over a copy of its presentation ahead of time, which they said and contained numerous factual errors.
Proceedings were delayed again on Day 3 when a broadcast camera inadvertently showed the faces of some of the jurors seated in the front row. The following week, a juror was excused from service after being admitted to the hospital.
Witness after witness
The state has called 27 witnesses so far, most of whom have focused on overt acts allegedly committed in furtherance of the gang. The majority of the prosecution’s witnesses have been law enforcement officers that either investigated YSL or were involved in the arrests of some of its alleged members over the years.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Stabbing leads to early recess
The third week of trial never got underway after one of the defendants, Shannon Stillwell, was stabbed at the Fulton County Jail and subsequently hospitalized. Glanville had planned to suspend the trial from Dec. 16 until Jan. 2 so jurors could enjoy the holidays, but started the break early after Stillwell’s jailhouse stabbing left him unable to appear in court.
What’s next?
Prosecutors are expected to call hundreds of witnesses to the stand in the coming months and officials say the trial could take up to a year. A weeklong break is scheduled to start Jan. 15, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
