Young Thug's Trial Delayed After Co-Defendant Stabbed In Jail

The racketeering trial against rapper Young Thug and five other co-defendants has been delayed until Jan. 2, 2024, after a co-defendant was stabbed in jail this week.

Co-defendant Shannon Jackson, also known as Shannon Stillwell, was hospitalized after being stabbed multiple times during a fight on Sunday night at the infamous  Atlanta jail, according to a statement from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. The case, which faced many delays before Jackson’s stabbing, has made headlines for involving well-known rappers like Thug and Gunna, and renewed discussions about the use of rap lyrics in courtrooms.

Prosecutors are accusing Young Thug’s record company, Young Stoner Life , known as YSL, of being affiliated with an Atlanta-based street gang known as Young Slime Life, which is associated with a subdivision of the Bloods, a national gang. 

Originally, the trial was set to go to recess in time for the holidays on Friday, but the stabbing has bumped that date up, according to CNN .

“Yesterday we recessed because one of our participants had a medical issue,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville said to the courtroom in a short hearing on Tuesday, The Washington Post reported . “Unfortunately, that medical condition still exists, and given the length of time we’re going to have to address that, it’s more prudent to give you an early recess.”

The trial started on Nov. 27, about 18 months after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed 65 charges against Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, and 27 others in 2021. While multiple defendants — including rapper Gunna — took plea deals, Thug, Jackson and four others are still on trial. Many of the defendants face multiple charges — including murder, theft, carjacking and drug sales.

Jackson has been incarcerated at the Fulton County Jail, also known as the Rice Street Jail, since March 2022. The jail is known to be overcrowded, filthy and riddled with violence.

The Justice Department is investigating whether the conditions at the jail are constitutional, noting the “Fulton County Jail is structurally unsafe” and “prevalent violence has resulted in serious injuries and homicides, and that officers are being prosecuted for using excessive force,” according to a July news release . “The investigation thus will examine living conditions, medical and mental health care, use of excessive force, and protection from violence.”

The jail is where Former President Donald Trump and the 18 other co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case were booked in August, and also where dozens of co-defendants accused of being involved in the #StopCopCity movement are being held.

An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that more than 60 inmates died in the jail between 2009 and October 2022. And this year, at least 10 people have died at the jail, according to NPR .