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 a series of violent crimes, including murders, shootings, carjackings and racketeering.
Young Thug has denied the accusations and insisted that YSL is simply Young Thug’s record label – Young Stoner Life.
After several defendants took plea deals or had their cases severed, the Grammy Award-winning rapper and five others are finally on trial.
Week two of the trial began Monday after a three-day recess. Court kicked off with a thirty-minute scuffle between the parties about the prosecution’s witness list.
Last week, Young Thug’s lawyer explained the meaning behind several of the rapper’s lyrics – after prosecutors claimed the lyrics are central to the case.
This included claiming the word thug means “truly humble under God”. His courtroom performance has since gone viral on social media.
Key points
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Sergeant Charles Ross says he saw hand signs, graffiti tags that indicate YSL association
Sergeant Charles Ross told the court he had knowledge of hand signs and graffiti tags that indicated association with YSL in the zone he patrolled for the Atlanta Police Department.
This is relevant to the prosecution’s claim at the heart of this case that YSL is a violent street gang. The defense claims YSL is, instead, just the name of Young Thug’s record label: Young Stoner Life
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 21:51
Sergeant Charles Ross body camera footage played in court
Body camera footage from Sergeant Charles Ross’s encounter with co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols in October 2018 is playing in court.
The footage shows Mr Ross and fellow officers detaining — but not arresting — multiple people at the scene. Mr Nichols was the only one arrested.
Mr Ross said he launched an investigation after he saw a video of Mr Nichols holding a bag of apparent marijuana on Instagram earlier in the evening.
He then located and arrested Mr Nichols before searching the vehicles on the scene for marijuana, Mr Ross told the court earlier. Before the footage was played, Mr Ross said he found marijuana, containers consistent with intent to distribute, and firearms in one of the vehicles.
Mr Nichols is charged with posession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an act the prosecution claims furthered the alleged conspiracy by members of YSL, according to the indictment.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 21:03
Sergeant Charles Ross takes witness stand
Sergeant Charles Ross with the Atlanta Police Department took to the witness stand Monday afternoon to discuss his investigations into the social media activity of one of Young Thug’s co-defendants.
Mr Ross said he knew co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols from his Instagram account, believed to belong to him because of images and videos of him posted to the page. Mr Ross said he launched an investigation after he saw a video of Mr Nichols holding a bag of apparent marijuana on the account in October 2018.
He then located and arrested Mr Nichols before searching the vehicles on the scene for marijuana, Mr Ross told the court. Mr Ross said he found marijuana, containers consistent with intent to distribute, and firearms in one of the vehicles.
Mr Nichols is charged with posession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an act the prosecution claims furthered the alleged conspiracy by members of YSL, according to the indictment.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 20:17
Sergeant Carlos Maldonado tells defence he did not reference any gang activity in co-defendant arrest
Sergeant Carlos Maldonado, who arrested co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols in 2017, told the defence he did not reference any gang activity in his report and did not arrest Mr Nichols in relation to any gang activity.
When the defence asked if he would have reported gang activity if he observed it, Mr Maldonado said he would have.
The indictment states Mr Nichols is charged with criminal street gang activity alongside his drug possession and firearm posession charges from the 2017 traffic stop.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 19:38
Young Thug’s court attire on Monday raises questions
Young Thug’s sweater, which features a design of a wolf on the front, has some questioning whether the outfit choice is an intentional reference to the first day of the trial.
Young Thug in court on Monday, 4 December, wearing a sweater with a wolf design.
(Law & Crime Trial Network)
During opening statements last week, the prosecution referenced a wolf and claimed Young Thug is the “head of the pack.” Now, viewers on social media are speculating whether the choice references those comments.
A lot of buzz on social media today about Young Thug’s fit. He’s wearing a designer sweater w/ a wolf print on it. Despite claims that he’s taking shots at prosecutors, the hip hop superstar’s girlfriend, Mariah the Scientist just confirmed to me that it’s a “pure coincidence.” https://t.co/GRma6Bl9QN
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) December 4, 2023
Young Thug’s girlfriend, Mariah the Scientist, told reporter Michael Seiden the choice was “pure coincidence.”
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 19:25
State called contested witness Sergeant Carlos Maldonado to stand
The prosecution called Sergeant Carlos Maldonado with the Atlanta Police Department to the stand.
He testified about a 2017 traffic stop that led to the arrest of Quamarvious Nichols, a defendant in this case. Mr Maldonado said he found substances suspected to be MDMA and Xanax after searching the vehicle.
Mr Nichols is charged with posession of MDMA with intent to distribute, posession of a firearm by a felon, and participation in criminal street gang activity, according to the indictment.
Mr Maldonado was one of the contested witnesses in the Monday morning dispute over the witness list.
The defence told Judge Ural Glanville they had the opportunity to cross-examine Mr Maldonado but their conversation did not cover the subject of his testimony today. The defence said they asked the prosecution to interview him again, but they offered a time on short notice during which a member of the defence team was not available.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 19:17
Officer Morris Kandakai takes the stand
The prosecution called Officer Morris Kandakai to the stand. He worked for the Atlanta Police Department 2012-2015 and currently works for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department.
He testified about a 15 July 2015 traffic stop involving defendants Trontavious Stephens and Shannon Stillwell. The incident is listed in the indictment. Mr Kandakai told prosecutors he found marijuana, a digital scale, a firearm, and prescribed hydrocodone. He said Mr Stephens attempted to claim the items.
Mr Stillwell’s attorney also cross-examined Mr Kandakai, who said he did not find any gang paraphernalia in the car. Mr Kandakai previously said he was not tasked with investigating gang activity but that he was aware of some activity in the area.
Mr Kandakai was suspended and placed on administrative duties in January following a scuffle with another defendant in this case, Rodalius Ryan, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 16:33
Prosecution calls Officer Wellington Clarke to witness stand
Wellington Clarke is an officer with the Atlanta Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit.
He spoke to prosecutors about his time working as a crime scene technician.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 16:13
Proseuction calls Officer Antonio Skeete to witness stand
Antonio Skeete is an officer with the Atlanta Police Department’s criminal investigation department, working in the special enforcement section on fugitives.
He has been with the department for nineteen years, Mr Skeete told the prosecution after taking the stand.
Mr Skeete testified about an allegedly stolen gun taken during a burglary in 2013. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, is accused of theft by receiving stolen property, according to the indictment.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 16:03
Conflict over this week’s witness list
Young Thug’s defence team is calling on the court to stop prosecutors from calling certain witnesses, claiming they were not given enough time to cross-examine over the weekend.
“Yesterday evening, for God’s sake,” Keith Adams, a member of the defence, said to Judge Ural Glanville.
The defence claims they did not have enough time to cross-examine witnesses. The prosecution had an original list of 70 and sent a list of 17 additional people on Sunday evening.
The prosecution said the defence had enough time and offered to bring certain witnesses to the defence on Monday to give them more time to cross-examine.
Judge Glanville said he was not included on any email exchanges about witnesses after Friday. He warned the prosecution that excluding witnesses would not be out of the question.
“Exclusion would not be a far-reaching remedy for me at this point,” Judge Glanville said. “We’ve spent 30 minutes on this issue that I can’t get back.”
“I don’t want to deal with it again,” he continued.
Katie Hawkinson4 December 2023 15:31