In a recent development in the high-profile RICO case against rapper Young Thug, also known as Jeffrey Williams, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has denied the artist’s request for release from jail.
Williams has been held without bond for nearly two years amid ongoing proceedings.
The ruling came during a hearing on Tuesday, where Judge Whitaker addressed several motions, including requests for a mistrial and bond for Williams and his co-defendants.
“I am not going to reconsider any bond issues that have already been considered and ruled upon by another court absent legitimate changed circumstances,” Whitaker stated, rejecting Williams’ attorney Brian Steel’s appeal for bond reconsideration.
Steel argued that Williams is enduring “squalor” in Cobb County jail and claimed that he poses no flight risk, proposing house arrest as an alternative.
Despite this, the court maintained its position, as the “Young Slime Life” trial, now in its 19th month, is the longest in Georgia history.
Co-defendants Deamonte Kendrick and Marquavius Huey also faced bond denials.
They supported Williams’ argument, asserting that Chief Judge Ural Glanville’s recusal from the case due to his handling of an ex-parte meeting with prosecutors constituted a legitimate change in circumstances.
Judge Whitaker clarified that the recusal of Judge Glanville was not based on bias or the impropriety of the ex-parte meeting but on procedural concerns.
She noted that Glanville’s engagement in detailed fact exposition during his recusal decision was the primary issue.
Four of the six defendants, including Williams, had previously filed motions for mistrials, citing ongoing issues with the trial’s management.
Whitaker ruled against these motions, emphasizing her inability to review Glanville’s findings and decisions.
Defense attorneys have also claimed violations of constitutional rights by prosecutors and Glanville. Kendrick accused the state of coercing him into filing for a mistrial, alleging that prosecutors and Glanville improperly pressured the key witness, Kenneth Copeland.
Williams requested the disqualification of lead prosecutors Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love and Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton, but Whitaker deferred a ruling on this matter, pending further review of the ex-parte meeting transcripts.
In a separate motion, defendant Quamarvious Nichols argued that substituting judges mid-trial infringes on his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Nichols’ lawyer, Bruce Harvey, contended that it was impractical for a new judge to grasp 19 months of trial proceedings. Whitaker rejected the mistrial motion but assured that she would familiarize herself with the case thoroughly.
Attorney Doug Weinstein, representing Kendrick, criticized the continued hearing of testimony after the recusal motion, claiming it resulted in “tainted testimony.”
Whitaker acknowledged the need to address this issue, stating that a decision on a mistrial could be forthcoming, with jurors expected to return on August 5 following a month-long hiatus.
Fulton County prosecutors sought a gag order to prevent defense counsel from discussing the case with the media, but Whitaker declined to impose such an order at this time.
Rodalius Ryan, the only defendant who did not file recent motions, is currently serving a life sentence for a 2019 murder.
The trial began on Nov. 27, 2023, after multiple delays and an extensive juror selection process. Whitaker, the third judge assigned to the case, took over following Judge Shukura Ingram’s disqualification due to an “appearance of impropriety.”
The indictment, issued in May 2022, includes 65 counts and 191 “overt acts” allegedly committed by the gang known as “Young Slime Life” or “YSL.”
The prosecution claims Williams led the gang, which is accused of a series of violent crimes and drug offenses across Atlanta. Williams maintains that YSL is simply the name of his record label, Young Stoner Life.
