Young Thug’s RICO trial encountered another challenge on its third day, with the identification of jury members via a livestream. Judge Ural Glanville confirmed that four jurors were seen and revealed on social media, causing concern.
via: FOX 5
The judge commenced day 4 of Young Thug’s trial by addressing an incident that occurred on Wednesday. The mishap involved a television media pool camera operated by FOX 5, which inadvertently displayed the images of at least two members of the jury. The incident quickly gained traction on social media.
Prosecutors expressed their concerns about potential screenshots spreading on the internet and the possibility of friends and family recognizing jurors, leading to unwanted contact regarding the ongoing trial. The judge responded by urging anyone with information about such occurrences to inform the court. However, he advised prosecutors to proceed with the trial without drawing further attention to the incident.
Acknowledging the unintentional camera mishap, the judge requested media outlets to ensure such incidents do not reoccur. He emphasized that he did not want the incident to dominate the day’s proceedings and acknowledged that it was inadvertent and not intentional.
Moving on, testimony began with a woman discussing a car theft incident that occurred about a decade ago. The woman was working as a “house mom” for an adult entertainment club in 2013 when she was rear-ended and a man then stole her vehicle.
Mellissa Dees Rosser says she was in a minor fender bender on Jan. 25, 2013, and that when she got out to speak to the driver, a man stole her car. Afterward, a captain with the Atlanta Police Department, who investigated the case as an undercover officer and testified about his interactions with a man later identified as Trontavious Stephens.
“There were some middle fingers, there was some gang signs being thrown. I cannot tell you what they were,” he stated. He then testified the man flashed a gun.
“He pulled the pistol from his pants, held it below his waistline while holding the barrel pointed at me and my partner,” he added.
This is the first overt act listed in the indictment which prosecutors aim to prove as racketeering. It involves Stephens, an alleged co-founder of the YSL gang. Multiple attorneys questioned him in cross-examination about his claim of seeing gang signs. He said he had no idea what the sign was or what gang it was tied to. He also agreed that if someone does flash a gang sign and then points a weapon at someone, then it is not gang activity.
Another sergeant testified to the third overt act in the indictment referencing defendant Shannon Stillwell and that while he was arrested for marijuana charges, he was not arrested for any gang charges at that time.
The jury has Friday off, but will be back in the courtroom on Monday morning at 9 a.m. to resume hearing from thedozen upon dozen of witnesses expected to testify.
