Prosecution argues Young Thug committed ‘terroristic threats’: Live updates

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.

The prosecution brought up a security officer to testify about an alleged incident in July 2015 when Mr Williams is accused of making threats to him at a mall; the defence noted that none of the other officers accused the rapper of making the threats.

Key points

22:00 , Kelly Rissman

*sips drink*

When Mr May, a security officer, was testifying about what Mr Williams allegedly said to him on 7 July, 2015 — that the rapper would “shoot [May] in the face” — Mr Williams grabbed his plastic water bottle filled with a dark-coloured liquid and sipped it.

At the same time, his attorney, Mr Steel, appeared to let out a deep breath.

Mr Williams is accused of committing “terroristic threats” at the Perimeter Mall in July 2015, according to the indictment.

21:36 , Kelly Rissman

“Terroristic threats”

Christopher May is on the stand, describing an event that led prosecutors to accuse Mr Williams of “terroristic threats.”

20:06 , Kelly Rissman

Prosecution is breezing through witnesses

• Former APD officer Christopher Collins testified about an arrest after he found a gun, oxycodone and marijuana.

• Mary Katherine Karpf testified about the oxycodone pills found; she works for the GBI at the state crime lab.

• Douglas Evans, who is a forensic examiner, also testified.

The court will take a 15-minute recess before the next witness is called.

19:10 , Kelly Rissman

Christopher Collins takes the stand

Mr Collins is a former APD officer. He testified about an incident taking place in July 2015.

Trontavious Stephens’ eyes were “glossed over, super red,” suggesting “impairment,” the officer testified. Mr Stephens “smashed a digital scale,” acting frustrated, Mr Collins added.

He said the car in which Mr Stephens and two others were riding contained marijuana and four pills of oxycodone. He also found a 9mm Taurus gun.

He then arrested Mr Stephens and another person in his car.

17:48 , Kelly Rissman

WATCH: YSL RICO Trial Day 8 recap

17:00 , Kelly Rissman

A late start

The Young Thug trial is expected to resume at 1pm today after taking a half day yesterday due to unrelated court business, the judge said.

The prosecution has called up a series of witnesses over this week and last, many of whom were law enforcement officers while others were victims of crimes that defendants have been accused of committing.

Prosecutors are expected to call up five more witnesses today, time allowing.

According to 11 Alive, the prosecution has 737 people listed on their witness list; the outlet noted that not every witness is guaranteed to ultimately testify.

15:00 , Kelly Rissman

ICYMI: What happened during Week 1 of the Young Thug trial?

Week 1 was filled with mishaps, objections, and at least one motion for a mistrial.

The trial began nearly an hour and a half behind schedule because a juror was late.

The prosecutor, Adriane Love, was finally able to begin her opening statements — but was stopped a few times with objections. Defence attorney Brian Steel made three objections to her opening statement, all of which were sustained.

The trial then came to a screeching halt when the jury was asked to leave the room and the defence team said that Ms Love hadn’t provided certain Powerpoint slides, which she was presenting to the jury, to the defence ahead of the trial, prompting Mr Steel to motion for a mistrial. The motion was denied.

Read the full story…

Young Thug’s YSL trial kicks off with scoldings, ‘wasted time’ and no tempo

11:00 , Kelly Rissman

Thug, redefined

Brian Steel, the attorney for Mr Williams, pointed out that his client had two major musical influences growing up: Lil Wayne and Tupac. Tupac famously defined “THUG LIFE” as standing for “The Hate You Give Little Infants F***s Everyone.”

“That was not what ‘thug’ meant to Jeffery,” Mr Steel said, offering up a different definition: “Truly Humble Under God.”

07:00 , Kelly Rissman

The judge reiterated that jurors should stay off of social media

On Wednesday, a juror flagged that she thought she saw herself on a livefeed on social media.

This prompted Judge Glanville to call in each juror one by one to see if they had overheard this juror discussing her discovery. The livestream of the trial dramatically cut out when the judge was posing the question to one juror, prompting fears that a mistrial would ensue.

Instead, the continued. The judge then warned jurors to keep off of social media.

He reiterated the same thing today in court.

03:00 , Kelly Rissman

Recap: What has happened during the Young Thug trial?

The indictment lists 28 defendants, including Jeffery Williams aka Young Thug, but only six defendants are on trial, as several have taken plea deals, including rappers Gunna and Unfoonk, Mr Williams’ brother.

Lyrics, which were the pressure point ahead of the trial, have so far only made an appearance during opening statements.

So far, the prosecution has been calling up witnesses to testify about the “overt acts” laid out in the indictment to demonstrate a conspiracy among defendants. Many of the witnesses are law enforcement officers and a couple were alleged victims — one of theft and one of carjacking.

The prosecution is trying to show that YSL is a “criminal street gang,” not just a record label that stands for Young Stoner Life, as the defence claims.

One law enforcement witness, Detective Belknap, described YSL identifiers, like the propensity to use the snake emoji, to wear green, to type certain abbreviations (like SLATT), and to make certain hand signs, to jurors during the trial’s first week.

Thursday 7 December 2023 23:15 , Kelly Rissman

WATCH: Funny moment in court when judge responds to juror asking for free lunch

Thursday 7 December 2023 21:15 , Kelly Rissman

The sweater that sent social media buzzing is sold out

Social media is buzzing over a now sold-out designer wolf sweater donned by Young Thug at his trial in Georgia – days after prosecutors described him as the head of a wolf pack.

The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is in court in Fulton County, Georgia, fighting gang and racketeering charges in connection with what DA Fani Willis and prosecutors say is a violent street gang he co-founded called Young Slime Life (YSL). He and 27 defendants other are facing RICO charges and have each been individually charged with other violations. Mr Williams has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On Monday, Mr Williams arrived at court wearing an Amiri sweater emblazoned with a wolf, according to WSBTV. The sweater retails for $1,090 and was on sale for $595 as of Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, the sweater appeared to be sold out on the Amiri website.

Read the full story…

Young Thug’s designer wolf sweater sells out after sparking trial speculation

Thursday 7 December 2023 19:15 , Kelly Rissman

ICYMI: Who is Young Thug?

Born in 1991 as Jeffrey Lamar Williams, Young Thug is an Atlanta-born rapper. He also goes by the name Slime.

After starting his career at the age of 19, he signed with Gucci Mane’s record label, and went on to become one of the most influential artists on the contemporary hip-hop and trap music scene.

His first two albums “So Much Fun”, in 2019, and “Punk”, in 2021, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, as did his 2021 joint compilation album with Gunna, “Slime Language 2”.

Young Thug has also featured in multiple collaborations that have earned him several number one hits.

These include guest spots on Camila Cabello’s Havana in 2018, Travis Scott and MIA’s Franchise in 2020 and Drake and Future’s Way 2 Sexy in 2021, all of which topped the Billboard Hot 100.

He also co-wrote the hit song This Is America with Childish Gambino, real name Donald Glover, which became the first hip-hop track to win Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 2019.

Thursday 7 December 2023 17:15 , Kelly Rissman

Court recesses for the day

The judge anticipated a 1pm start time tomorrow.

Thursday 7 December 2023 16:45 , Kelly Rissman

A new strategy?

It seems like lawyers for Deamonte Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell might have started a new strategy: asking the witness whether the incident he’s discussing involves their clients.

Officer Henry has been discussing an incident involving Marquavius Huey for the back half of yesterday into today.

This tactic is perhaps an effort to debunk claims that the group is working as an enterprise, emphasising that this particular “overt act” only involves one defendant. We will see if that strategy continues throughtout the day.

Thursday 7 December 2023 16:21 , Kelly Rissman

Cross-examination of Radclif Henry

Officer Henry testified yesterday about an incident that occured on 25 May, 2018.

Mr Henry said on Wednesday that he was dispatched to Grant Park after the call about a shooting. He approached someone who matched the description of a suspect: a “Black male wearing all black.” When he approached, that person started running away.

While he was chasing him, the suspect threw the firearm on the ground and then the officer picked it up and “made it safe.” The officer said the recovered gun came back as stolen. Marquavius Huey was arrested.

The incident is documented as an “overt act” in the indictment involving Mr Huey, who is accused of theft by receiving stolen property.

Thursday 7 December 2023 14:18 , Kelly Rissman

ICYMI: Drama unfolded in Wednesday’s courtroom

A juror informed the judge that she saw herself on a livestream during a recess. The judge proceeded to ask every juror whether they had overheard the first juror speaking to the sergeant about the livefeed.

After the judge asked one of the jurors, the livefeed cut out, prompting fears that someone had answered “yes,” however, after a few minutes, the feed resumed. Despite fears of a mistrial, the court will resume today at 10am.

Thursday 7 December 2023 13:00 , Kelly Rissman

Young Thug’s designer wolf sweater sells out

Social media is buzzing over a now sold-out designer wolf sweater donned by Young Thug at his trial in Georgia – days after prosecutors described him as the head of a wolf pack.

The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is in court in Fulton County, Georgia, fighting gang and racketeering charges in connection with what DA Fani Willis and prosecutors say is a violent street gang he co-founded called Young Slime Life (YSL). He and 27 defendants other are facing RICO charges and have each been individually charged with other violations. Mr Williams has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On Monday, Mr Williams arrived at court wearing an Amiri sweater emblazoned with a wolf, according to WSBTV. The sweater retails for $1,090 and was on sale for $595 as of Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, the sweater appeared to be sold out on the Amiri website.

Read the full story…

Young Thug’s designer wolf sweater sells out after sparking trial speculation

Thursday 7 December 2023 11:00 , Kelly Rissman

What is RICO?

RICO stands for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which is a state law in Georgia based on the 1970 federal law, allowing the prosecution of alleged criminal organizations.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis explained at a press conference following the 2022 indictment: “RICO is a tool that allows a prosecutor’s office and law enforcement to tell the whole story. We use it as a tool so they can have all the information they need to make a wise decision.”

Donald Trump and his 18 codefendants were also charged under this Georgia statute.

Thursday 7 December 2023 09:00 , Kelly Rissman

Who is Mariah the Scientist?

Mariah the Scientist is not only a singer-songwriter from Atlanta, but is also Young Thug’s girlfriend.

The pair made headlines recently when Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, released the song, “From a Man,” after she dropped “From a Woman.”

Mr Williams “is someone who supports and respects my vision wholeheartedly. There is a true balance in my femininity and his masculinity,” Mariah the Scientist said in October, according to Rolling Stone. “He’s the yang to my yin in every way.”

The couple also made headlines again this week after Mr Williams boasted a sweater featuring a wolf on it. Although some social media users thought he wore it as a jab to the prosecution — who called him the “head of the pack” of YSL and quoted The Jungle Book — Mariah the Scientist told WSBTV that wearing the sweater was a “pure coincidence.”

Thursday 7 December 2023 07:00 , Kelly Rissman

WATCH: Awkward moment in court today

Thursday 7 December 2023 03:00 , Kelly Rissman

What does YSL mean?

YSL takes on a few meanings in this trial.

According to its website, YSL stands for Young Stoner Life, a record label that includes artists Young Thug, Gunna, Yak Gotti, Unfoonk. They are all defendants in this trial.

The prosecution is arguing that “YSL” also stands for “Young Slime Life,” a “criminal street gang.”

During his opening remarks, Mr Steel discussed the alleged origins of “YSL.” He said the abbreviation stemmed from the “YSL” logo on Yves Saint Laurent pants.

Thursday 7 December 2023 00:00 , Kelly Rissman

Witnesses reluctant to describe Cleveland Ave area as low-income

Wednesday 6 December 2023 22:00 , Kelly Rissman

House Judiciary GOP makes comparisons between Young Thug and Donald Trump trials

Both cases have been brought by Fulton County DA Fani Willis and both concern RICO charges.

Wednesday 6 December 2023 21:30 , Kelly Rissman

Despite the drama, court will resume session tomorrow

After the judge asked every juror whether they overheard the one juror discussing her concern with the sergeant. The judge encouraged jurors to keep off of social media apps to avoid any coverage of the trial. “Any apps, any news feeds, come off of those,” he said.

The court will start at 10am tomorrow and go until about 12:30pm.

Wednesday 6 December 2023 21:14 , Kelly Rissman

Other jurors speak to the judge

The judge asked all the other jurors if they heard the first juror discussing “anything about the media”?

Wednesday 6 December 2023 20:46 , Kelly Rissman

More juror drama

Within the last 30 minutes, “you shared a video on your phone with” a sergeant, right? The judge asked before asking how she came across the video.

“I saw myself on the camera above us here,” and she asked where else she could be seen, including the viewing room. She was “concerned” after finding a video online that showed her on a live feed “in contravention of the court’s order,” as the judge put it.

Wednesday 6 December 2023 20:00 , Kelly Rissman

Radclif Henry testifies

Mr Henry is a patrol officer, who was dispatched to Grant Park after the call about the shooting. He approached someone who matched the description as a “Black male wearing all black” and the person went running. While he was chasing him, the suspect threw the firearm on the ground and then the officer picked it up and “made it safe.”

Officer Henry said he detained them and asked why he was running; he didn’t respond because “he was tired,” he said.

The officer said the gun came back as stolen.

Wednesday 6 December 2023 19:38 , Kelly Rissman

Sharon Latners takes the stand

Ms Latners works for Atlanta’s 911 communication center.

The prosecution played three 911s call from May 25, 2018.

During cross-examination, Mr Matthews emphasised that there were no descriptions of or details about the shooter from the callers. He also pointed out that the shootings took place at three different locations.

Wednesday 6 December 2023 19:15 , Kelly Rissman

Witnesses refuse to refer to Cleveland Ave as a “poor” area

Earlier today, Mr McKesey refused to agree with Mr Steel when he asked whether the area was destitute because he didn’t want to disrespect those in the area.

Mr Thomas similarly refused to classify the area as poor, when Mr Adams asked, but characterised it as a high crime area.

“You’re well-versed enough to say that it’s a high-crime area or that it’s a gang area but you can’t say whether it’s a low-income area or not?” Mr Adams said.

Wednesday 6 December 2023 19:01 , Kelly Rissman

The next witness takes the stand: Dwayne Thomas

Mr Thomas works at the APD. He described the Chevron gas station as being known for gang activity and narcotics sales.

He is also recounting the incident in which Young Thug’s brother, Quantavious Grier, was detained in September 2020. Mr Thomas said a Taurus firearm was recovered from Grier’s waistband, adding that the firearm was stolen from Clayton County. The officer was shown the gun and confirmed it was the same. He said he also found marijuana under the car.

During cross-examination, Mr Adams, Mr Williams’ attorney, asked the officer about the older man waving a gun around, and how Mr Grier took the gun from him and put it in his waistband. Mr Thomas also testified that he didn’t know who the weed belonged…