On Tuesday, Fani Willis’ office, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, submitted a request for the judge to reconsider previously excluded evidence in the ongoing trial of rapper Young Thug.
Real name Jeffery Williams, Young Thug faces serious charges including racketeering conspiracy, involvement in gang activities, and various drug and gun offenses. Prosecutors argue that Williams is a founding member of the Young Slime Life (YSL) gang, although he also heads the record label YSL, which stands for Young Stoner Life.
Natrice Miller/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Associated Press
Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love filed a motion aiming to revisit a ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, which had previously excluded a certain piece of evidence. This evidence led to a mistrial motion filed by Williams’ attorney, Brian Steel, due to concerns over hearsay.
During a September 30 hearing, Judge Whitaker challenged Love on her handling of the case, noting concerns over her representation of a social media post intended as evidence. Although the judge denied the motion, she criticized the disorganization of the prosecution’s approach. “It is baffling… that someone with your level of experience would continuously seem to hide the ball,” she remarked.
Additionally, Love’s recent motion seeks to allow the state to present all pertinent evidence to the jury while rejecting the defense’s claims that such evidence is merely “a waste of time.”
Having commenced jury selection in January 2023—an arduous process that took over 10 months—the trial has faced numerous challenges, including courtroom arrests, allegations of secretive meetings, and changes in judges overseeing the case.