The third week of the YSL trial got off to a dramatic start when one of the defendants was reportedly stabbed.
Defendant Shannon Stillwell “was stabbed in jail,” Max Schardt, his lawyer, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday.
Willie Brown, an inmate at Rice Street Jail, was charged with aggravated assault and possession of prohibited items in connection to the stabbing, according to a Fulton County Sheriff’s Office press release.
A fight erupted between Mr Brown and Mr Stillwell on the evening of 10 December — but it’s still not known what led to the fight. Mr Stillwell was “stabbed multiple times by Brown” and Mr Stillwell is in stable condition, the release stated.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Schardt for further information.
The stabbing has led to another delay in the trial which has already faced several setbacks.
In court on Monday, moments after the trial was set to begin at 10am ET, Judge Ural Glanville told the jurors: “We’ve had a medical issue come up with one of our participants.”
He then called a recess but did not provide any further details.
Mr Stillwell is one of the six defendants – including rapper Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams – still on trial out of the original 28 charged in the RICO case.
The others have either reached plea deals or were severed from the case.
Shannon Stillwell, a co-defendant in the YSL case in Fulton County, was stabbed— (FSCO)
According to the indictment, Mr Stillwell faces eight charges, including conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and two counts of murder. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
This delay is only one of a series of postponements that have plagued the trial. Jury selection took nearly a year. And now that the trial is in full swing, the rockiness has not eased.
Both the prosecution and defence often make objections, sidebars happen frequently, and a livestream showed jurors’ faces on camera, prompting concerns from at least one juror.
The case hinges on the definition of YSL. The prosecution has accused the defendants of being part of a “criminal street gang” called Young Slime Life (YSL), while the defence has argued that Young Stoner Life (YSL) is merely a record label.
A series of law enforcement witnesses and a few victims have testified so far.
After some of the jurors’ faces were exposed on camera, some witnesses have not been shown on camera.
Although the trial is slow rolling, there has been no shortage of viral moments. In opening statements, Mr Williams’ attorney told jurors that “thug” stood for “truly humble under god” when talking about his client’s rap name.
Then last week, Young Thug’s outfit choice sent social media buzzing. He wore a designer sweater with a wolf on it — which is now sold out — sparking speculation that he was trying to send the prosecution a message after they have sought to paint the rapper as the head of the pack.
Mr Williams’ girlfriend, Mariah the Scientist, told WSBTV that his decision to wear the sweater was a “pure coincidence”.
Young Thug has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
The trial is set to resume on Tuesday morning at 9am ET.
