The second judge assigned to the trial against hip-hop artist Young Thug and others accused of participating in a criminal street gang recused herself Wednesday, Courthouse News reports. Just two days after she was assigned to take over the trial, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram wrote that she was disqualifying herself due to an "appearance of impropriety". Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has been reassigned to handle the case. A judge since 2017, Whitaker is a former Fulton County prosecutor who also worked at the state Attorney General’s Office. Ingram wrote that one of her courthouse deputies was arrested for conspiring with the relatives of onetime co-defendant Christian Eppinger to sneak contraband to him in jail. "Because this court’s former assigned deputy could be called as a witness in any future proceedings in this case, the court may be called upon to assess this deputy’s credibility, or rule on matters related to her criminal prosecution. This may undermine the public’s confidence in the impartiality of the proceedings," Ingram wrote. The deputy has been identified as Akeiba Stanley. In addition to trying to smuggle contraband, Stanley had an “inappropriate relationship” with Eppinger and communicated with him through Instagram, according to her arrest warrant.
Ingram wrote the former deputy was responsible for the courtroom and Ingram's personal security for nearly six months. She said Stanley was still assigned to Ingram when investigators discovered her communications with Eppinger. Stanley faces charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, hindering the apprehension or punishment of a criminal, reckless conduct and violating her oath of office. "While the court does not regard the aforementioned situation as creating any actual bias for or against any party to this case, the court does view this as a matter that could cause a reasonable person to question the court’s impartiality and reasonably give rise to the appearance of impropriety should the court remain on this case," Ingram wrote. The relationship accusations resulted in Eppinger’s attorney, Eric Johnson, having his laptop seized and Eppinger being severed from the sprawling racketeering case last year. Eppinger is accused of shooting an Atlanta Police officer several times in February 2022 while being taken into custody. Since then, he’s been linked to an inmate stabbing and picked up two more felony charges of threatening the sheriff’s office staff.