Steel spent most of his remarks refuting the most serious allegation, that Young Thug was involved in the murder of Donovan Thomas Jr.. Steel addressed the claim that a car used in the murder was registered under Young’s name Thug was hired by explaining that the rapper often rented cars. to friends in need. Steel says Kenneth Copeland contacted Thug for help before the alleged murder. Answering the call, he says, was the extent of Thug’s involvement.

December 10, 2023

Shannon Stillwell, a co-defendant of Young Thug, also known as SB or Shannon Bernard Jackson, is stabbed in jail. He survives injuries to his back, abdomen and shoulder. Fellow inmate Willie Brown admits to the stabbing and says he took the knife from Stillwell after he entered his cell. The trial is suspended until the new year.

January 3, 2024

Trontavious Stephens, a member of YSL, takes the witness stand after agreeing to a plea deal that includes eight years of probation. He identifies himself, Young Thug and Walter Murphy as the founding members of YSL. He admits the organization grew out of the Raised on Cleveland street gang, but says the organization was founded as “a music label – there was music first.”

February 20, 2024

The prosecutor plays a 911 call from an anonymous woman, who claims to have heard of a shooting committed by Young Thug. “They came to my house and told me the guy who shot someone’s name was Young Thug, whoever that was,” she said in the call.

April 4, 2024

The judge rejects a request from Young Thug’s lawyers to remove lead prosecutor Adriane Love from the case. Brian Steel had objected to questioning witnesses with a series of “Isn’t it true you told me” style questions. He says the rhetoric makes her an unsworn witness who should be questioned on the stand.

April 8, 2024

More accusations of impropriety by the prosecutor. Jurors will be shown text messages that a prosecution investigator, Rasheed Hamilton, sent to a witness identified as A. Bennett, who first took the stand in March. One message reads: ‘Call me if you’re bored later. We are not going to talk about business.” Bennett testified that Hamilton said he wanted to date her and called her “mommy” several times. No further action against Hamilton was reported.

July 1, 2024

The trial is being put on hold indefinitely as several lawyers complain that Judge Ural Glanville had inappropriate private conversations with prosecutors and an uncooperative witness. The witness, Kenneth Copeland, also known as rapper Lil Woody, had refused to testify and was held for contempt of court. The meetings took place without the lawyers’ knowledge, but when Steel heard about it and brought it up in court, he too was held in contempt for refusing to reveal his source. He was given a twenty-day prison sentence, which was soon overturned. Glanville subsequently released a full transcript of the meeting.

July 15, 2024

Judge Ural Glanville is dismissed. Judge Rachel Krause, ruling on the denial, wrote that while the ex parte meeting was not improper, the denial was important to maintain “the public’s confidence in the justice system.” A separate motion seeks to bar Krause herself from ruling on the denial, due to a $2,000 campaign donation she received from Glanville. Krause denies that motion.

July 17, 2024

Judge Ural Glanville’s replacement, Judge Shukura Ingram, who was randomly assigned to the case, is herself dismissed because her former courthouse deputy was romantically involved with Christian Eppinger, one of Young Thug’s co-defendants.

August 12, 2024

The trial resumes with Judge Paige Reese Whitaker. Copeland, a key witness, resumes his testimony but answers most questions “I don’t remember.”

October 23, 2024

The court adjourns after rapper Slimelife Shawty reads an Instagram post during his testimony with the hashtag ‘#FreeQua’ – which the state should have removed from its paper copy. Because the hashtag could sway the jury by suggesting that Quamarvious Nichols, one of Young Thug’s co-defendants, has served time in prison, Nichols’ attorneys are requesting a mistrial. Another defendant named Qua, Marquavius ​​Huey, is also asking for a mistrial. Judge Whitaker criticizes prosectors for a series of errors of which this is just the latest. “What I’m trying to do is correct your sloppiness so that everyone won’t have wasted 10, 12 months of their life in this trial,” Whitaker told prosecutors. “I’m sorry that you all have a huge, huge universe of evidence that if you just limited yourself, maybe you wouldn’t make these kinds of mistakes.”

October 29, 2024

After the state’s blunder, Quamarvious Nichols reaches a settlement. All but one of the charges against him are dismissed, including the murder charge, provided he accepts the RICO conspiracy charge. That includes admitting his involvement in drug possession and distribution, but Nichols categorically denies participating in violence. Nichols will serve seven years of a 20-year sentence, adjusted for time served, with the balance of 13 years to be served on probation. The other Qua, Marquavius ​​Huey, also enters into a settlement. And another defendant, Rodalius Ryan, aka Lil Rod, takes a plea deal and receives a 10-year prison sentence, commuted to time served. He will now fight a separate murder charge in the Georgia Supreme Court.

October 31, 2024

Young Thug pleads guilty and is released from prison.

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