Are We Nearing the End of the YSL Trial?
10/28/2024 06:00 PM
Delays have been a constant in the YSL trial, but the latest pause is turning more heads than usual. Court has been adjourned since October 23, following a new mistrial motion by the defense. That night, defense attorneys met with District Attorney Fani Willis, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, prompting speculation that plea deals could be in the works. Atlanta's Fox 5 has since reported that "several defense attorneys" made counteroffers to plea deals this afternoon, which now "are sitting on … Willis's desk." It's unclear how many defendants are negotiating plea deals and whether central defendant Young Thug is part of that group. Court was set to resume at 3 p.m. on October 28 but was called off. The jury is currently set to return at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, October 29.
Testimony from rapper SlimeLife Shawty preceded the current delay (and the possible plea deals). On October 23, the state asked Shawty, born Wunnie Lee, to read a caption on an Instagram post from defendant Shannon Stillwell, which featured the two of them. From his paper copy of the post, Shawty read the hashtag "FreeQua," which was redacted on the copy the state showed the jury. This prompted mistrial motions from attorneys for both Quamarvious Nichols and Marquavius Huey, who both go by Qua, since the statement could have biased the jury by implying either one had been in prison. "We're not going to be able to unring this bell," said Nicole Westmoreland, an attorney for Nichols.
Just so I have it documented in the thread for the future, this was the moment that caused the motion for mistrial
— THUGGERDAILY ひ (@ThuggerDaily) October 23, 2024
He even says "it's in this paperwork y'all got me reading" 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/74QRGmeBxH
A frustrated Judge Paige Reese Whitaker discussed giving the jury a stipulation that #FreeQua did not refer to either Qua on trial, telling prosecutors she was trying to "fix your sloppiness." Whitaker denied Westmoreland's motion for a mistrial with prejudice (which would not allow for a retrial) for Nichols, saying she thought the state had made a mistake. However, Whitaker then asked if Westmoreland wanted a mistrial without prejudice, which she said "yes" to, and then asked if any other attorneys would join. After a break, Westmoreland approached Whitaker on the bench, prompting the judge to adjourn court for the day. Court has been called off since, amid the reported meetings with Willis. Whitaker has yet to rule on the mistrial motion.
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