Young Thug Rico Trial Day 3: First Witness Called To The Stand

The YSL RICO trial involving Young Thug moved into its third day, which was noticeably more subdued compared to the initial two days. The prosecution and defense presented their opening arguments on the first and second day of the trial. On Monday (Nov. 27), the prosecution aimed to depict Thug as a criminal mastermind, citing some of his lyrics as proof of his misconduct. On Tuesday (Nov. 28), Brian Steel, representing the defense, countered this depiction by trying to convince the jury that Thug was a devout, respectable member of his community.

On Wednesday (Nov. 29), the prosecution summoned Detective Mark Belknap to testify. With 18 years of service in the Atlanta Police Department and a position as Vice President of the Georgia Gang Investigators Association, Belknap is a recognized expert on gangs. He testified that YSL was a type of hybrid street gang.

Belknap provided the jury with a history of hybrid gangs in Atlanta, specifically mentioning the R.O.C. Crew or Raised on Cleveland gang. He also discussed the initiation rituals for these gangs. According to him, the rituals involved candidates being “beaten,” “blessed” or “sexed.” The latter ritual was specific to female members, who were allegedly required to have sex with multiple gang members before being accepted. At the end of the day, Judge Ural Glanville confirmed that four jurors had been filmed during Law & Crime Network’s daily livestream of the trial. Reports suggest that Judge Glanville was visibly angry and declared that no further filming would be permitted for the rest of the day. Despite the alleged identification of jurors on social media, Judge Glanville stated that Detective Mark Belknap’s testimony would proceed. Rumors are flying that since members of the jury were shown on the livestream, this is why the judge called the attorneys to his chambers for a potential mistrial.