The closely watched racketeering trial of the rap star Young Thug has been temporarily suspended after one of his five co-defendants was stabbed in Atlanta’s notorious Fulton County Jail.  

Young Thug, whose lawful name is Jeffery Williams, and five other co-defendants are being prosecuted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams for their alleged involvement in Young Slime Life, an Atlanta street gang associated with the Bloods.

Prosecutors claim YSL is led by Mr. Williams, but his lawyers say the only ‘YSL’ associated with the chart-topping rapper is Young Stoner Life Records, his Atlanta-based record label. Mr. Williams and two other men founded the label in 2012. His co-founders have already pleaded guilty in this case.

Ms. Willis, who is also prosecuting President Trump, originally had 27 other defendants included in the YSL indictment, but their numbers have dwindled thanks to a number of guilty pleas and severed cases. As she is doing with Mr. Trump, Ms. Willis is using Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, or RICO, to make her case. RICO allows prosecutors to win a case simply by convincing a jury the defendants were guilty through association rather than guilty of committing specific crimes.

But such a wide-ranging case has, unsurprisingly, led to a series of delays. Before this week, these delays were caused by a multitude of reasons including contraband being brought into court (one of Mr. Williams’ co-defendants was accused of slipping him a Percocet), a courtroom deputy going to jail after allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a former defendant, and physical fights between deputy sheriffs and defendants – to name a few. Now, the list of reasons for delay has grown longer after one of the defendants was viciously stabbed in the Fulton County Jail this past weekend.

The sheriff’s office and defendant Shannon Stillwell’s attorney have confirmed that Stillwell was stabbed multiple times on Sunday night. The culprit has been identified as Willie Brown, a fellow inmate who’s been accused of murdering a teenager in 2020.  Mr. Brown will now face additional charges of aggravated assault and possession of prohibited items after the stabbing.

Stillwell’s attorney, Max Schardt, says he is unsure what led to the attack but that “Shannon has a target on his back due to the false allegations in this RICO indictment.” Stillwell has been charged with “conspiring to violate the state’s racketeering statute; two counts of murder; two counts of participation in criminal street gang activity; two counts of possessing a firearm by a convicted felon; and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.” He’s been in custody since his arrest in March 2022.

According to court documents filed by Mr. Williams’ legal team this summer, Stillwell was arrested at his Atlanta home in the East Point neighborhood “while in the midst of a religious ceremony which involved supposed sacrifice of goats.” Mr. Williams’ attorneys are seeking to prevent video of the goat sacrifice from being played in court.

As for Stillwell, who was hospitalized after the attack, “We remain committed to ensuring his safety with hopes to get him back home to his family,” Mr. Schardt said. 

Unfortunately, stabbings are not uncommon at the Fulton County Jail. In fact, 10 detainees have died so far this year while in the custody of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. These deaths come alongside reports of “inhumane treatment” of inmates and unhealthy living conditions. The jail is currently being investigated by a Georgia Senate panel and by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“We’ve all watched with great concern the tragedy that continues to unfold at the Fulton County Jail,” Georgia State Senator John Albers said in October while announcing the State Senate committee’s investigation. “Now, we can’t solve all the problems that Fulton County may have, or any other county for that fact.

“However, we can go in there and hopefully get them on the right track.”

As a result of the recent attack against Stillwell, Chief Judge Ural Glanville has put the whole YSL trial on hold until the New Year. He was planning to suspend the trial from Dec. 16 until Jan. 2, regardless, but this event forced him to start the break sooner than expected. Upon being dismissed, jurors were told not to research the case or discuss the trial with others.