Atlanta rapper Young Thug was denied bond for the third time on Friday as jury selection continues in his Fulton County gang and racketeering case.
The musician, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, has been in custody since his May 2022 arrest. Chief Judge Ural Glanville ruled Williams must stay behind bars, citing dangers to the community and the possible intimidation of witnesses ahead of his upcoming trial.
Williams’ attorney, Brian Steel, detailed the “torturous” conditions the rapper is living in while in custody at the Cobb County jail. He said Williams is eating processed food with little to no nutritional value and has “gained tremendous weight” as a result.
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Steel also said his client was recently hospitalized with kidney issues as a result of his diet in jail and that he’s forced to sleep in a cell each night with the overhead lights on.
“The diet consumed by Mr. Williams endangers his health,” Steel told the Glanville. “Pre-trial incarceration, your honor, is not supposed to damage a person’s mind, spirit or body.
Prosecutor Adriane Love alleged that Williams has a history of intimidating witnesses, telling the judge he once told a woman that snitches “get murked, them and their kids.” She was not required to show proof of that during the bond hearing.
“He moves like a man with a million dollars behind his name,” Love said, quoting what one potential witness allegedly told her about his reluctance to cooperate.
“His hands won’t get dirty, but people will enact his wishes,” she said.
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Authorities allege Williams is the co-founder and leader of Young Slime Life, which they say is a criminal street gang responsible for much of Atlanta’s violence. The rapper’s attorneys have strongly contested the charges, contending YSL is simply a record label.
Williams was among 28 people named in a sweeping gang and racketeering indictment last year. Co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick, who raps under the name Yak Gotti, was also denied bond.
Since the case began, Glanville has only granted bond to co-defendant Miles Farley, who was severed from the trial following his attorney’s courthouse arrest. Several others were released after entering guilty pleas.
Jury selection in the sprawling case began in early January and is on pace to become the longest trial in Georgia’s history.
After nearly seven months, individual juror voir dire began Wednesday, with both prosecutors and defense attorneys questioning potential jurors.
Question topics include the prospective jurors’ knowledge of the high-profile case, their interest in music and whether or not they believe they can be impartial at trial. Some have also been asked their opinions about hip-hop, gun ownership and face or neck tattoos.
With so many lawyers asking probing questions, getting through the nearly 750 prospective jurors will likely be a slow-going process.
Of the eight people questioned Wednesday and Thursday, five were qualified and the remaining three were struck for cause.
