The judge overseeing the trial of Young Slime Life (YSL) on Tuesday admonished one of District Attorney Fani Willis’s prosecutors because there were not enough witnesses available for the entire day.
As the long-running extortion case in Fulton County, Georgia, continued, District Attorney Adriane Love told Judge Paige Reese Whitaker that there had been difficulties in finding a key witness.
“I expect that witness will still come forward; it’s the witness we talked about, but I think it’s relevant information,” Love said.
“Not at the moment,” the judge replied. “Frankly, it doesn’t matter if you have a particular witness.”
“You have been instructed to ensure there are enough witnesses to fill the entire day.”
Miguel Martinez/Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
The exchange made it clear how slowly the case surrounding the gang and rapper Young Thug is developing and has been dragging on for over a year.
The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which aims to target individuals who work for a criminal organization.
Williams and several co-defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit organized crime and participation in criminal street gang activities. Drug and weapons offenses are also being charged.
DA Willis is prosecuting two RICO cases, another involving the prosecution of former President Donald Trump and his allies for their alleged attempts to overturn the state’s 2020 election based on Georgia’s racketeering laws.
The prosecution’s leadership was called into question after a private meeting between the former judge and Willis’ team came to light and allegations emerged that an investigator asked a witness out on a date.
In April, Assistant District Attorney Love got into a heated exchange with former Judge Ural Glanville after Glanville sided with the defense and ruled that evidence presented by Love would not be admitted.
When she began to express her frustration with the verdict, Glanville told her, “Well, you all should have pulled yourselves together before,” before asking the court to summon the jury – a scene that was repeated this week.
The disagreement between Judge Whitaker and Love on Tuesday – it was not their first clash – highlighted once again the difficulties in dealing with witnesses in this case.
One of the witnesses, Quindarrius Zachary, also known as Dee and Lil’ D, was arrested on Friday but was transferred to a nearby hospital for health reasons, so it is unlikely that he will take the stand and answer questions about the gang’s alleged crimes any time soon.
Prosecutors reportedly need to call over 100 witnesses, but the judge hopes to wrap up the case before the holiday season.
