The newest judge assigned to the YSL RICO trial involving rapper Young Thug has recused herself from the case. Judge Shukura Ingram’s recusal comes 48 hours after the state recused the previous judge, Judge Ural Granville.
Ingram cited concerns over impartiality due to a former deputy’s relationship with one of the co-defendants, Christian Eppinger.
In an Order of Recusal filed Wednesday morning, Judge Ingram explained that her former courthouse deputy had a romantic relationship with Eppinger. This relationship, she feared, could create an “appearance of impropriety.” Although Judge Ingram doesn’t believe this situation creates any “actual bias for or against any party to this case,” she acknowledges it could lead a reasonable person to question the court’s impartiality.
Judge Ingram was randomly assigned to the case after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville was recused. According to the order, the former deputy had been assigned to Judge Ingram’s courtroom for nearly six months before being arrested. Investigators discovered her relationship with Eppinger, leading to her arrest. While Ingram did not identify the deputy, other court documents and reports from FOX 5 Atlanta have identified her as Akeiba Stanley.
The recusal comes as the trial, which began in November 2023, continues to face numerous disruptions. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and his co-defendants were indicted in 2022. The case has seen the longest jury selection in history, lasting 10 months. At 18 months and counting, it is now the longest trial in Georgia’s history. The trial has been plagued by various issues, including illnesses, the arrests of a juror and lawyer, the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, and other disruptions.
The fate of the trial and its defendants remains uncertain as the court works to assign a new judge to oversee the proceedings.
