Former Georgia prosecutor outlines why the Young Thug trial is so complex

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The severe weather cut short an already slow-going jury selection process in the racketeering and gang-related trial of Young Thug.

The judge dismissed the jurors so to avoid the bad weather, but even without a weather delay jury selection, in this case, is tedious and it’s going to take a long time.

“It’s called jury selection, but what it really is jury deselection.”

RELATED: The trial of Young Thug.

Chris Timmons, a former DeKalb and Cobb County prosecutor of nearly 20 years says Jury selection is the most important part of the trial. Right now, both the prosecution and defense are looking for leaders.

“I’m looking for people who are going to be talking in the jury room. And more specifically I’m looking for leaders on the other side. The people who are likely to take the flag from my opponents and planet firmly in the jury room and fight for them” said Timmons, now with Knowles Gallant Timmons.

The trial, expected to last upwards of nine months, involves not only rapper Young Thug but 13 other defendants as well, all of which are facing various gang-related charges, including RICO.

Timmons says prosecutors chose to try the group under the RICO act because it helps them tell a story and connect multiple crimes, showing a pattern of criminal activity.

“I imagine one of the reasons they use the RICO act here is because they had acts that occurred outside Fulton County’s boundaries,” said Timmons. “So that allows you to go into DeKalb, that allows you to go into Gwinnett, it allows you to go into Clayton, it allows you to go into Douglas, and prosecute those crimes in one jurisdiction, even if they happened all over the place.”

Ultimately 12 jurors will be seated, but Timmons says with the size and length of this trial, there will likely be a significant number of alternates, perhaps 7-12.

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