September 3, 2024
Hip Hop Case Updates
Photo Source: Shawn Fields of Wix Unsplash Media
Young Thug, an Atlanta rapper, is accused of having gang affiliations through a record label. Young Thug, is a 32-year-old Atlanta, Georgia, Black citizen whose native name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams. Williams revolutionized the sound of Southern rap with his rhymes, which alternate between being lyrically simple and profound. He is accused of operating a violent criminal street gang under the pretense of his record company. Williams was charged with nine crimes, including conspiracy to violate the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (R.I.C.O.) Act, plus possession of drugs and guns, and involvement in illegal street gang activity.
Due to the nearly year-long jury selection procedure and the unplanned hiatus that occurred several weeks after the opening arguments last year due to the stabbing death of one of Jeffrey William's co-defendants in custody, the trial of the rapper is already the longest in Georgian history. Prosecutors have not even completed half of their suggested witness list, more than six months after opening arguments, and it is unclear where the trial will proceed from here. The prosecution has been hampered by a deluge of administrative errors and lost hours due to court delays since it began again in January 2024. Williams was initially arrested May 2022. Per an Billboard article titled "Young Thug & Gunna Indicted on Conspiring to Violate RICO Act" May 10, 2022. "The conspiracy charge dates back to 2013 and the gang charge to 2018, jail record says."
According to defense attorney Brian Steel believes, Williams should be "cleared of all charges based upon prosecutorial and judicial misconduct" and released from custody. Steel's motion identifies several constitutional infractions against his client's United States citizenship rights plus United States Constitutional enforcement, such as:
*Right to a Fair Trial: Williams' right to a fair trial is allegedly violated by the ex parte discussions and the suspected cooperation between Glanville and the prosecution team.
*Due Process: The motion contends that the misbehavior by the courts and the prosecution has violated Williams' rights to due process.
*Right to attorney: The affidavit asserts that Williams' right to adequate legal representation has been violated by holding talks and making decisions that would impact the trial without Williams' attorney present.
Even though a new Judge, Paige Reese Whitaker, was assigned to hear Williams' case as of July 17, 2024, William's lawyer, Brian Steel, was recommended to be incarcerated for 20 weekends because he refused to turn over the source that provided his team with information about the alleged private meeting that Steele claimed occurred prior to the star witness of the case, Kenneth Copeland testimony. Copeland is an additional rap artist from the south who goes by the rap name "Lil Woody." https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/young-thug-trial-kenneth-copeland-testimony-1235081715/
Gif Media of Jeffrey Lamar Williams (L) with attorney and the now deceased Shannon Stillwell, a co-defendant in rapper Young Thug's Fulton County trial stabbed to death Dec 10, 2023 Provided by Wix Media
Per a Rolling Stone article by Nancy Dillon on August 16, 2024, titled "Young Thug Trial: It Was a Wild Week of Testimony From Key Witness Kenneth." Copeland's testimony has turned the prosecution case into a barrel of non-truths because of Kenneth Copeland's blatant denial concerning his confession to investigators during a series of police interviews in the aftermath of the January 2015 drive-by shooting murder of Donovan "Nut" Thomas Jr.
As of September 3, 2024, the court trial has resumed with moving testimony by Copeland and demands for dismissal per Williams's attorney, Brian Steele. To learn more, please click the link. https://www.11alive.com/video/news/crime/ysl-trial/lil-woody-doubles-down-on-ysl-is-not-a-gang-young-thug-tria/85-0bad3c65-5bc8-4d86-a94b-a1f27bcf498e
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