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Young Thug trial on pause until January after co-defendant is stabbed in jail

ATLANTA (AP) 鈥 The trial for rapper Young Thug and five other people is on pause until early next year after one of the defendants was stabbed in the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.
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FILE - The Fulton County Jail is shown, April 11, 2023, in Atlanta. Authorities said one of five people who鈥檚 currently on trial along with rapper Young Thug has been stabbed at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. Fulton County Sheriff鈥檚 Office spokesperson Natalie Ammons confirmed that Shannon Stillwell had been stabbed but did not immediately provide any further details. Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville dismissed the jury for the day Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 saying one of the defendants had 鈥渁 medical issue.鈥 (AP Photo/Kate Brumback, File)

ATLANTA (AP) 鈥 The and five other people is on pause until early next year after one of the in the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.

Shannon Stillwell, 31, was stabbed multiple times Sunday evening during a fight with another man housed in the same part of the jail, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office said. Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville sent jurors home Monday morning, telling them one of the defendants had a 鈥渕edical issue鈥 but told them to return the next morning.

On Tuesday, he told them the 鈥渕edical issue still exists鈥 and, given the time that it may take to deal with it, 鈥淚'm going to recess you for the holidays today.鈥 He had previously told the jury they would have a break starting at the end of the proceedings this Friday and continuing through the new year.

Glanville told the jurors they are to return to court Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. and instructed them not to read anything about the trial or talk to anyone about it in the meantime.

The for Stillwell, Young Thug and four others after .

Stillwell was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta after the stabbing, and Glanville on Monday issued an order for hospital staff to allow his attorneys to visit him there 鈥渢o the extent that it is medically cleared.鈥 He also ordered that Stillwell be kept separate from other defendants in the case once he is returned to the jail.

The jail has long been plagued by violence and other problems, and a lawyer for the sheriff鈥檚 office last month that inmates had fashioned weapons from broken flooring and pipes. The U.S. Department of Justice announced this year that it was in Fulton County.

Prosecutors say Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, led a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, that was responsible for killings, shootings, carjackings and other crimes over about a decade. They allege that he used his successful music career and social media posts to promote the gang and establish its dominance.

Defense attorneys have said police and prosecutors relied heavily on jailhouse informants who had every reason to tell them what they wanted to hear. They have also criticized prosecutors鈥 as evidence of crimes, saying their clients鈥 art and free expression are being improperly used against them.

The Associated Press