Atlanta Police Detective Mark Belknap never made it to the witness stand on Day 24 of rapper Young Thug’s YSL gang trial Thursday as the jury was brought in twice only to be excused without any testimony to consider.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, good afternoon,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville said. “All right, OK, I got good news and I got bad news for you, OK? Let me tell you the bad news: You’re not going to hear any testimony today.”
As jurors feigned disappointment, Glanville played along by saying, “I know. I know. All right. Pipe down, pipe down, control yourselves, all right. The good news is I’m going to let you go for the day with our appreciation in regard to your patience. There’s some other things we need to work through at this point in time.”
The prosecution had been expected to call Belknap, a member of the department’s gang unit, as the state pressed its case against Young Thug (real name: Jeffery Williams) and five co-defendants who are accused of criminal street gang activity and drug and gun charges. The most recent testimony centered around Trontavious Stephens, a YSL co-founder nicknamed “Tick” and “Slug,” who earlier accepted a plea deal for testifying against Williams.
The defense had objected to Belknap being brought back to the stand, though Glanville sided with the prosecution to allow it. Lawyers for Williams had a chance to question Belknap outside the courtroom Thursday morning and reported that the detective had cooperated with them.
Prosecutors allege that Williams and two other people co-founded a violent criminal street gang in 2012 called “Young Slime Life,” or YSL, which they say is associated with the national Bloods gang. The indictment says Williams “made YSL a well-known name by referring to it in his songs and on social media,” and they have tried to use lyrics from his songs — most notably “Droppin Jewels” from 2021 — as evidence of the gang boasting about actual crimes.
The defense has countered that YSL is nothing more than the name of a record label and that any lyrics in their songs are artistic license protected by the First Amendment and not an admission of a crime. Nevertheless, Glanville “conditionally” allowed the prosecution to use 17 sets of lyrics. Williams’ attorney, Brian Steel, said the prosecution had cherry-picked the lyrics out of context and made an impassioned plea to play the whole song. Glanville denied the motion, prompting Steel to claim he was being “handcuffed” in his attempts to defend his client.
Williams’ lawyers have argued that the prosecution has muddled the case with so many acts that it is “too cumbersome” for the jury to comprehend. The jury consists of 18 people, with 12 seated as jurors and six as alternates: 10 Black women, two white women, three Black men, and three white men. The panel of 12 features seven Black women, two Black men, two white women, and one white man.
Williams, 32, sat quietly, occasionally yawning. The star rapper has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been in custody since being arrested in May 2022, the principal defendant in what is now the longest criminal trial in Georgia history. The trial portion began in January 2023, and seating a jury took an extraordinary ten months alone.
It has been an exercise in fits and starts, with a delay for an attorney’s courthouse arrest, one for a deputy who was accused of having a romantic relationship with a former defendant, and one for a jailhouse stabbing. There also have been breaks for the holidays, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
There are more coming up. Glanville said the jury would not be needed this Friday or next, and that next Thursday, Feb. 8, likely will be a half-day.
