CBS News
Young Thug’s racketeering trial delayed to 2024 after co-defendant stabbed in Atlanta jail
The trial for rapper Young Thug and five other people is on pause until early next year after one of the defendants was stabbed in the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.
Shannon Stillwell, 31, was stabbed multiple times Sunday evening during a fight with another man housed in the same part of the jail, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said. Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville sent jurors home Monday morning, telling them one of the defendants had a “medical issue” but told them to return the next morning.
On Tuesday, he told them the “medical issue still exists” and, given the time that it may take to deal with it, “I’m going to recess you for the holidays today.” He had previously told the jury they would have a break starting at the end of the proceedings this Friday and continuing through the new year.
Glanville told the jurors they are to return to court Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. and instructed them not to read anything about the trial or talk to anyone about it in the meantime.
The racketeering conspiracy trial for Stillwell, Young Thug and four others began last month after about 10 months of jury selection.
Getty Images
Stillwell was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta after the stabbing, and Glanville on Monday issued an order for hospital staff to allow his attorneys to visit him there “to the extent that it is medically cleared.” He also ordered that Stillwell be kept separate from other defendants in the case once he is returned to the jail.
The jail has long been plagued by violence and other problems, and a lawyer for the sheriff’s office last month told state lawmakers that inmates had fashioned weapons from broken flooring and pipes. The U.S. Department of Justice announced this year that it was investigating detention conditions in Fulton County.
Prosecutors say Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, led a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, that was responsible for killings, shootings, carjackings and other crimes over about a decade. They allege that he used his successful music career and social media posts to promote the gang and establish its dominance.
Defense attorneys have said police and prosecutors relied heavily on jailhouse informants who had every reason to tell them what they wanted to hear. They have also criticized prosecutors’ use of rap lyrics as evidence of crimes, saying their clients’ art and free expression are being improperly used against them.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
NEW YORK – The man accused of killing three people when drove drunk into a crowd on the Lower East Side on July 4th was arraigned on a host of charges Saturday.
Daniel Hyden of Monmouth Junction, N.J. is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, manslaughter, assault and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated charges. Hyden was driving with a suspended license, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, Hyden, 44, drove a Ford F-150 pickup truck into the crowd at Corlears Hook Park just before 9 p.m. local time. He allegedly ran through a stop sign at the intersection of Water and Cherry Streets, drove up onto the sidewalk, slammed through the chain link fence, and into the crowd.
Eleven people were killed or injured, prosecutors said. The three people killed have been identified as Lucille Pinkney, 59, and her son Herman Pinkney, 38, and Ana Morel, 43. Another person was critically injured, and seven others hospitalized. The youngest victim was 11, according to prosecutors.
Responding police officers say they found Hyden on the ground next to the driver’s-side door, wearing pants but no shirt or shoes. He had bloodshot eyes, was stumbling and there was “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath.”
“I hope we get justice”
Photos provided
On Friday, Family members of the victims returned to the scene, some breaking down in tears.
“I hope we get justice for my brother and my mother,” Diamond Pinkney said. “Herman, I love you. I’m going to do you proud.”
“We’re all devastated with this. It breaks my heart, and I’m so sad about it,” neighbor Nereida Garcia said.
Four people were fatally shot and three people were injured in a mass shooting in Kentucky on Saturday, the Florence Police Department said in a statement.
Officers arrived at a private residence at 2:51 a.m. to see seven people shot – and found out the suspect had fled the scene in his car. Police said they located the fleeing suspect and tried to nab him during a traffic stop, but he continued to drive.
A chase ensued, police said, and only ended when the suspect’s car drove into a ditch off the roadway. The suspect was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Three of the victims were taken to UC Health Hospital. They are currently listed in critical but stable condition, officials said.
Everyone was attending a birthday pool party, Florence Church of God, a local church, posted on its social media. One of their congregation’s sisters asked for prayers for her friend whose daughter was killed in the shooting.
“A man came in uninvited on a birthday pool party and killed four people,” the church’s Pastor Campbell wrote.
One of them was a friend’s daughter, the pastor wrote, and “her granddaughter is in the hospital with gunshot wounds.”
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.