Atlanta rap star Young Thug was released from jail Thursday night after changing his plea to guilty earlier that day in Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial. He averted prison time with probation, bringing a stunning close to a chapter of a case that has riveted court watchers for nearly two years.
The plea change by the rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, appeared on the brink of not happening after Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker asked if he agreed to a nonnegotiated plea. That means prosecutors and the defense could not come to a sentencing deal, and that the judge would ultimately decide his punishment.