Young Thug trial put on hold after defendant Shannon Stillwell stabbed
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Young Thug, a rapper whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, appears in Fulton County court. Photo: Steve Schaefer/Courtesy of the AJC
The highly-watched Young Slime Life racketeering trial in Atlanta is on hold until 2024 after one of the defendants was stabbed in jail.
Why it matters: Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville's decision to halt the trial until Jan. 2 is yet another delay in the sprawling case brought against award-winning rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, and 13 other defendants.
- The case finally got underway last month after a jury selection process that stretched on for 10 months.
The latest: The Fulton County Sheriff's Office said co-defendant Shannon Stillwell was stabbed Sunday evening during a fight with another detainee who was housed in the same zone at Rice Street — a troubled, overcrowded facility that itself is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice.
- Stillwell had been in custody since March 2022 while his accused attacker, Willie Brown, has been jailed without bond since July 2020.
- Fulton County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Natalie Ammons told Axios that Stillwell is still in the hospital.
- The AJC reports the chief judge's original plan was for the holiday break to begin Saturday and run through Jan. 2.
Catch up quick: In May 2022, a Fulton grand jury indicted Williams and 27 other people on charges of racketeering and other crimes as part of their alleged affiliation with what the prosecutors say is the YSL, or Young Slime Life, street gang.
- Williams has maintained that YSL is only a music label.
- District Attorney Fani Willis decided to prosecute 14 defendants at the same time.
- Eight have accepted plea deals and six others will be tried separately, the AJC reported when the trial began.
The intrigue: The case has already seen allegations of defendants distributing prescription medication in the courtroom, fighting during defendant transport, a viral leaked interrogation video and someone trying to give marijuana to one of the defendants through clothing they brought to court.
- After prosecutors last week referred to Williams as "leader of the pack" of YSL, the rapper showed up to court on Friday wearing a sweater with an image of a wolf on the front, according to the AJC.
- In his opening statement, Williams' attorney Brian Steel said Thug meant "Truly Humbled Under God."
Of note: Judge Glanville, who is a veteran, has a service dog who is with him each day in the courtroom to help manage his PTSD, the AJC reported.
The big picture: The trial has also sparked debate over whether using music lyrics as evidence against artists charged with a crime violates their First Amendment rights.
- Judge Glanville ruled in November that certain lyrics could be used as evidence in the trial.