YSL trial on "administrative pause" following stabbing of defendant
The trial will continue after the holidays, resuming on Jan. 2.
Quick stats
Week no.: 3
Witnesses who have testified: 27 (of roughly 400 witness for the state)
My assessment
The stabbing of Shannon Stillwell is yet another example of the dangerous conditions inside the Fulton County jail.
Big News
Shannon Stillwell, one of the defendants in this trial was stabbed on Sunday evening inside the Fulton County jail. Stillwell is charged with a number of crimes in this case, including the murder of Donovan Thomas. His attorneys say he’s innocent.
As a result of the incident, Glanville has recessed jurors several days early. Court will resume on Jan. 2.
According to reports from WSBTV, Stillwell was stabbed in the stomach and back, and is in stable condition following a two-hour surgery.
Per the AJC:
Willie Brown, a murder suspect who is accused of killing a teenager in 2020, now faces additional charges of aggravated assault and possession of prohibited items in connection with the stabbing.
[Brown and Stillwell] were being housed in the same zone at the Rice Street facility, the sheriff’s office said.
I was in court on Monday when Glanville spoke with jurors. The judge did not give details to them about this incident, instead referring to it as a “medical issue.” “We’ve had a medical issue come up with one of our participants so I’m going to have to recess for today,” he said on Monday. “These things happen.” Returning to the bench on Tuesday, Glanville told jurors the “medical condition” still had not been resolved and, as a result, the trial would not proceed as planned for the remainder of the week.
Witness Testimonies
NOTE: These are the testimonies from Friday, Dec. 8.
Officer Christopher Collins
Relevancy: Initiated a stop on 7/3/2015 that led to the arrest of Trontavious Stephens for the below reasons.
Stephens, who has accepted a plea deal and is no longer a defendant in this case, was subsequently arrested again by another officer two weeks later.
Christopher May
Relevancy: The Roswell Police Department officer was a security guard at Perimeter Mall when he said Young Thug threatened to shoot him in the face.
May said he’d encountered Thug and two others outside of a Champs after receiving reports that two men were riding a hoverboard through the mall. May asked the men to get off the hoverboards and said they used profanity at him and refused. He eventually asked them to leave the mall, following them to ensure they left and to let them know they would be banned for their behavior.
May said Thug originally said “fuck you, we’re leaving” when they were inside the mall. Once the men got to their car, the officer said Thug told him “I will come back up and shoot you in the face.”
A person who worked for Champs identified the person who said the above as Young Thug and officer May googled a photo the rapper to confirm it was him.
May said he realized how big of a deal Thug was when he began to receive threats on social media following the incident. He said he subsequently made his profile private with the hopes of protecting his family.