The hotly-anticipated trial of the rapper Young Thug is underway in a courtroom in Atlanta, Georgia, following almost a year of delays.
In May 2022, Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, was arrested and charged in a sprawling RICO indictment along with 27 other defendants.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis – who is using the same law to prosecute Donald Trump in his Georgia election interference case – accused the suspects of being part of a criminal street gang named YSL or “Young Slime Life.”
According to prosecutors, the gang is responsible for multiple violent crimes, including murders, shootings, carjackings and racketeering.
Young Thug denies the accusations and insists YSL is simply his record label – Young Stoner Life.
The trial has been undoubtedly rocky. The start of the trial’s third week gave no reprieve; the court was immediately asked to recess due to an undisclosed “medical issue” of “one of the participants,” the judge said.
It was later revealed that Shannon Stillwell, a YSL defendant, was stabbed “multiple times” in prison by a fellow inmate. The reason behind the stabbing is unknown, but Mr Stillwell is in stable condition, the Fulton County sheriff’s office said.
