Day one of the Young Thug and YSL RICO trial already got off to a pretty wild and contentious start. Moreover, during the prosecution's opening statements, in which they presented some PowerPoint slides, Thug's attorney Brian Steele interrupted- which reporter Meghan Cuniff noted is bizarre for legal proceedings- and called for a mistrial in this case. This is due to his claim that the information in these slides wasn't disclosed, and the defense lawyer said that these revelations were barred in court. All this is according to Cuniff, who added that the District Attorney's team acknowledged that they messed up by proposing a curative jury instruction. Of course, they still objected to a mistrial motion.
Furthermore, Cuniff also quoted a prosecutor in the Young Thug trial whose inflammatory take provided objection. "'What you will not hear any evidence of is that the defendants were not involved in a criminal street gang,'" she wrote. "Unreal burden shifting from a prosecutor here. Stunning that she said this and seemed surprised when there was an objection. 'If that's the case, then she's just lying to the court.'" It's unclear who the journalist quoted with that last sentence, but we can assume it's the defense's opposition to the prosecutor.
Young Thug's Lawyer Brian Steele Keeps Pushing For Mistrial: See Updates
However, this isn't a win on either side, as the court denied previous motions to dismiss this case and no one is any happier with what prosecutors have been doing. As such, it's harder than ever to tell what will happen with this case moving forward, which is ironic considering that it's finally underway after so long. What's most worrisome about these developments, though, is how they obfuscate what Young Thug and YSL's tru culpability is in all this. With so many differing procedures, contested approaches, and lack of informational organization, it's clear that both sides are struggling to reckon with the breadth, scope, and visibility of this case.
Regardless, this rocky start to this RICO trial prompted many to look back at what happened with Thugger and YSL up until this point. There's a lot to sum up and consider, without even accounting for the details and developments that didn't make it to the media cycle. Nevertheless, hopefully this trial aims to concern itself with the evidence and the arguments at hand in a clear, fair, equitable, and effective way for the sake of all those involved. On that note, stay up to date on HNHH for the latest news and updates on Young Thug and the YSL RICO trial.