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A clearly reluctant state witness took the stand this week amid Young Thug’s ongoing YSL RICO trial.
Tuesday, the prosecution in the much-publicized case called D'Angelo White as a witness. White, per oft-cited legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff, is alleged to be heard in a 911 call from 2015 regarding a shooting prosecutors argue was intended to target him. The shooting is referenced as part of prosecutors' larger racketeering claims against Young Thug and other defendants.
"Why is I’m here? This is not my case. … I don’t know why I’m even here, man," White said when asked about a particular street in connection with the 2015 incident. As the questions continued, White repeatedly reiterated his frustrations, at one point expressing that he wanted to "go back to prison" instead of partake in the court proceedings.
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"This don’t have nothing to do with me," he said. "This is not my case. I’m already doing a 10-year bid."
Elsewhere, White said that the state was "holding me against my will." As for that aforementioned 911 call, that was also played in court on Tuesday.
The following day, White returned to the stand. At one point in Wednesday’s proceedings, he said that prosecutors were "trying to get me to tell on somebody I don’t know."
This isn’t the first time that witnesses in the lengthy case have made headlines. In March, a state witness said in court that he was "so high right now" and thus "about to fall asleep." That same month, a co-defendant's legal counsel filed a motion to limit the number of witnesses in the case, which is expected to drag on for years.
The case has received criticism since it began, including in connection with the larger issue of artists having their art used against them. In January, the case was called into question by Drake following the leak of a jail call between Thug and Mariah the Scientist.
"Whole case is a wash," he said of his frequent collaborator on IG at the time. "Just [free] the guy and let him come home and continue bringing light to Atlanta."
Shortly after, a legal expert explained to Jessica McKinney for Complex why he thinks the leak is "grounds for a lawsuit."
