Young Thug YSL RICO Trial Delayed Following Defendant Stabbing

The YSL RICO trial has hit another roadblock. It took 10 months for the jury to be selected for the case, which features the rapper Young Thug as a prominent defendant. Now, less than two weeks in, the trial has been delayed following news from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office that defendant Shannon Stillwell was stabbed over the weekend.

On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville dismissed the jury, citing a “medical issue” in connection to a trial “participant,” Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Stillwell is one of six people standing trial, alongside Young Thug (born Jeffery Williams), Deamonte Kendrick, Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan, and Marquavious Huey. The jury has been instructed to return on Tuesday at 9 a.m. for further direction. Additional details surrounding Stillwell’s stabbing were not yet available.

Judge Glanville informed the jury when the trial was set to begin in late November that he expects it to last anywhere between six and nine months. Stillwell faces charges of murder, participation in a criminal street gang, and violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, in addition to gun charges. Young Thug is facing eight counts in the 65-count indictment. Prosecutors allege that he functions as the leader of a subset of the Bloods, called Young Slime Life, that they claim are responsible for murders and other violence in the Atlanta area.

The indictment was announced last year on May 9, 2022. In it, 28 people were charged with crimes such as murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft, drug dealing, carjacking, racketeering, and witness intimidation. In the year and a half leading up to the jury being seated, numerous defendants have struck plea deals, including the rapper Gunna, who took an Alford plea last December.

Prosecutors have a witness list of about 400 people, including police officers, teachers, and “members and associates of YSL,” according to the prosecutor’s presentation. In contentious hearings leading up to opening statements, lawyers sparred over the use of lyrics in the case, the qualifications of witnesses, and the late delivery of evidence by prosecutors to the defense team.

The YSL RICO trial has hit another roadblock. It took 10 months for the jury to be selected for the case, which features the rapper Young Thug as a prominent defendant. Now, less than two weeks in, the trial has been delayed following news from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office that defendant Shannon Stillwell was stabbed over the weekend.

On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville dismissed the jury, citing a “medical issue” in connection to a trial “participant,” Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Stillwell is one of six people standing trial, alongside Young Thug (born Jeffery Williams), Deamonte Kendrick, Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan, and Marquavious Huey. The jury has been instructed to return on Tuesday at 9 a.m. for further direction. Additional details surrounding Stillwell’s stabbing were not yet available.

Judge Glanville informed the jury when the trial was set to begin in late November that he expects it to last anywhere between six and nine months. Stillwell faces charges of murder, participation in a criminal street gang, and violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, in addition to gun charges. Young Thug is facing eight counts in the 65-count indictment. Prosecutors allege that he functions as the leader of a subset of the Bloods, called Young Slime Life, that they claim are responsible for murders and other violence in the Atlanta area.

The indictment was announced last year on May 9, 2022. In it, 28 people were charged with crimes such as murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft, drug dealing, carjacking, racketeering, and witness intimidation. In the year and a half leading up to the jury being seated, numerous defendants have struck plea deals, including the rapper Gunna, who took an Alford plea last December.

Prosecutors have a witness list of about 400 people, including police officers, teachers, and “members and associates of YSL,” according to the prosecutor’s presentation. In contentious hearings leading up to opening statements, lawyers sparred over the use of lyrics in the case, the qualifications of witnesses, and the late delivery of evidence by prosecutors to the defense team.