ATLANTA — The high-profile YSL RICO trial has been postponed until January of next year, according to the judge on Tuesday.
The trial will now resume on Jan. 2, 2024.
The racketeering conspiracy trial for rapper Young Thug and five others began last month after about 10 months of jury selection.
On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville dismissed the jury for the day, saying one of the defendants had “a medical issue.” Glanville told the jurors they would be returning Tuesday but those plans appear to have changed.
The defendant in question, Shannon Stillwell, was stabbed multiple times Sunday evening, the county sheriff's office said in a news release Monday. They add that Stillwell was stabbed by another inmate, Willie Brown, during a fight between the two men, who were housed in the same zone.
The jail has long been plagued by violence and other problems, and a lawyer for the sheriff's office last month told state lawmakers that inmates had fashioned weapons from broken flooring and pipes. The U.S. Department of Justice announced this year that it was investigating detention conditions in Fulton County.
Prosecutors said Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, led a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, that was responsible for killings, shootings, carjackings and other crimes over about a decade. They allege that he used his successful music career and social media posts to promote the gang and establish its dominance.
Defense attorneys have said police and prosecutors relied heavily on jailhouse informants who had every reason to tell them what they wanted to hear. They have also criticized prosecutors' use of rap lyrics as evidence of crimes, saying their clients' art and free expression are being improperly used against them.