In a lengthy racketeering case that had involved rap sensation Young Thug, Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial came to a close Tuesday with not guilty verdicts on all but one charge against the two surviving co-defendants.
Both defendants Shannon Stillwell and rapper Deamonte Kendrick, better known by his stage name Yak Gotti, were charged with several offenses related to the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statute. The assassination of a suspected rival gang member in a 2015 drive-by shooting and conspiracy to violate RICO were two of the most serious charges. Stillwell was also accused of murder in connection with the 2022 murder of a rival gang member.
With the exception of one felony handgun allegation, the 12 jurors found Kendrick and Stillwell not guilty after they started deliberations on November 26.
On Sunday, Kendrick was stabbed in an annex of the Fulton County Jail.
Initially, there were 28 co-defendants in the case, including Young Thug, who was charged by Fulton County prosecutors in a 2022 indictment with being the leader of the Atlanta street gang Young Slime Life, or YSL. (In 2016, Young Thug established YSL Records, his own label.)
After several defendants accepted plea deals and others decided to stand trial apart from Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, the trial against the co-defendants began in January 2023 but continued through numerous delays and unexpected turns.
Six co-defendants gave their opening remarks in November 2023. Prosecutors have used the Grammy-winning rapper’s song lyrics to allege violent and illegal acts, as well as strange moments involving alleged drug exchanges, uncooperative star witnesses, and combative incidents involving the previous judge. The proceedings have been livestreamed and have captured the attention of social media users.
The state called over 175 witnesses by the end of the trial, but Stillwell and Kendrick’s defense called none.
Prosecutors in Fulton County stated during closing arguments on November 25 that the defendants were members of a criminal street gang that attacked competitors with weapons: According to Assistant District Attorney Christian Adkins, they own firearms and were not scared to use them.
As members boasted about their achievements on social media and in songs, he continued, YSL employed deceit, intimidation, destruction, and death.
He said that jurors must conclude that the men either plotted to obtain or retain money or other personal property or conspired to engage in an activity via a pattern of racketeering in order to find the defendants guilty of violating RICO.
Max Schardt, Stillwell’s attorney, later told the jury that the prosecution’s story of a gang conspiracy was a clumsy attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole. Additionally, he denied that his client had killed anyone, which raised questions about other witnesses who confessed to lying to police while testifying.
“The state hasn’t proven their case, and they haven’t proven it beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.
Doug Weinstein, Kendrick’s attorney, mocked the state’s allegation that Young Thug and other YSL artists and associates had gang links.
Images of YSL wearing green attire must indicate that they are a gang. “You guys are mostly in blue and black, and you associate with each other here today,” Weinstein told the jurors. Do you belong to a gang? Today, the entire state is in red. Given that they are all wearing red, are they a gang?
Key dates in Young Thug case
-
May 9, 2022: Young Thug is
booked into jail
on charges of criminal gang activity.
- Jan. 4, 2023: Jury selection in the RICO trial against Young Thug and his co-defendants begins.
- Nov. 1, 2023: After multiple delays, a jury is seated.
- Nov. 27, 2023: Opening statements begin.
-
Dec. 11, 2023: Co-defendant Shannon Stillwell is
stabbed during a fight
in jail, further delaying the trial.
- June 10: Young Thug s lawyer, Brian Steel, accuses trial Judge Ural Glanville of holding a closed-door meeting without the defense present.
-
July 15: A
judge rules
that Glanville must recuse himself.
- July 17: Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker is assigned to the case.
-
Aug. 12: The
jury returns
after an almost two-month hiatus.
- Oct. 23: Witness testimony that inadvertently includes information meant to be excluded from the jury is heard, setting off a potential mistrial motion.
-
Oct. 29: Co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols
takes a plea deal
.
-
Oct. 30: Co-defendants Marquavius Huey and Rodalius Ryan
take plea deals
.
-
Oct. 31: Young Thug
takes a plea deal
.
- Nov. 25: Closing arguments begin in the trial against remaining co-defendants Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick.
- Nov. 26: Jury deliberations begin.
- Dec. 3: Verdict revealed
In order to address the persistent violence in their south Atlanta neighborhood, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had first brought the case against Young Thug and his associates, who were alleged to be connected to the nationwide Bloods gang.
Some criticized Willis for utilizing Young Thug’s song lyrics and social media posts as evidence to accuse gang activities. Willis would subsequently come under attack for her handling of the 2020 election case against Donald Trump and allies.
The state’s RICO legislation, according to critics, was being used as a weapon to attack Black hip-hop musicians in particular, who they believe ought to have the freedom to express themselves.
The state’s case was on the verge of collapse in July when the first trial judge was dismissed following a private conference with prosecutors and a key witness that excluded defense attorneys. Defense attorneys tried in vain to have the case mistrialized.
The trial was then almost overturned once more in October when a state witness was unintentionally provided a social media post to read aloud during evidence. The post contained the unredacted nicknames of two co-defendants, which were supposed to be redacted for the jury. Judge Paige Whitaker of the Superior Court was able to examine if prosecutors and defense attorneys might work out plea agreements since the prosecution mishandled the prospect of a mistrial.
Of the six co-defendants, four came to an agreement. After striking a bargain, Young Thug was given 15 years of probation and his 40-year sentence was reduced to time served.
Young Thug has collaborated with artists including Travis Scott, Post Malone, Meek Mill, and Drake since his 2014 drug song Stoner brought him widespread recognition. Along with having three No. 1 albums on the Billboard chart, he co-wrote Childish Gambino’s song “This Is America,” which earned him a Grammy Award for song of the year in 2019.
The longest criminal trial in Georgia’s history, which lasted roughly eight months, concerned Atlanta public school teachers who were charged with racketeering in a cheating scam.
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