Young Thug’s arduous RICO trial may finally end due to the prosecution’s perceived sloppiness. A mistake during the questioning of a witness led to calls for a mistrial on Wednesday (October 23). Judge Paige Reese Whitaker left defense attorneys, prosecutors and observers hanging as nothing was decided before the court adjourned for the day.

The defense sought a mistrial after the prosecution’s witness Slimelife Shawty mistakenly revealed Young Thug’s co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols was previously incarcerated. The jury was not supposed to know Nichols spent time in jail or prison.

“You cannot unring that bell,” Nichols’ attorney said.

Prosecutors asked Slimelife Shawty, whose real name is Wunnie Lee, about a hashtag on an Instagram post. He read “Free Qua” aloud while looking at an unredacted copy of the evidence. The prosecution wanted him to identify a different hashtag on the post. The jury was shown a redacted version on a courtroom monitor.

Wow! "Free Qua" is what Wunnie Lee just said from the witness stand. That caused another motion for mistrial. #YSL #YoungThug pic.twitter.com/Tzt0uPjNQR

— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) October 23, 2024

Judge Whitaker scolded the prosecution for not properly preparing their witness but refused to grant a mistrial with prejudice. A mistrial with prejudice would’ve prevented prosecutors from retrying Young Thug and his co-defendants.

“I do not believe that [prosecutors] are purposefully trying to insert error into this trial to make y’all ask for a mistrial so that they can try this case again,” the judge said before turning her attention to the prosecution. “I think it is continued [mistakes]. And I am sorry y’all have this gigantic, ginormous universe of evidence that maybe if you narrowed down you would not be making these kinds of mistakes, but I believe that to be a mistake. So, I’m gonna deny a motion for a mistrial with prejudice.”

Judge Whitaker asked if the defense wanted a mistrial without prejudice. Nichols’ lawyers said yes, which would result in a mistrial for all the defendants. The other defense attorneys wanted to discuss the matter. When they returned to court, the judge abruptly wrapped things for the day

Young Thug’s trial began in 2023. If the defense is confident the rapper and his co-defendants will be found not guilty, they may risk continuing the trial. Moving forward could cause problems in the appeals process.

A mistrial without prejudice would allow the prosecution to get a redo. Young Thug could catch a break if Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis loses her reelection. Her Republican challenger claimed she would dismiss the YSL RICO case if elected in November.