The lengthy and highly anticipated gang and racketeering trial that saw Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug, alias Jeffery Williams, plead guilty in October, culminated on Tuesday with a dramatic twist: the final two defendants were cleared of racketeering, murder, and gang-affiliated charges. Deamonte Kendrick, who performs under the moniker Yak Gotti, emerged unscathed from all accusations, while Shannon Stillwell faced conviction solely for firearm possession. These verdicts arrived nearly two years after jury selection commenced and a year after the troubled trial's opening statements.
The initial, expansive indictment leveraged song lyrics and social media postings as incriminating evidence, implicating 28 individuals in a conspiracy to breach Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Young Thug, a Grammy Award-winning artist, was granted probationary freedom after pleading guilty in October to gang-related, drug, and weapons offenses.
Kendrick and Stillwell were entangled in charges stemming from a 2015 drive-by shooting at an Atlanta barbershop that claimed the life of Donovan Thomas Jr., aka "Big Nut," purportedly a member of a rival gang. Stillwell also faced allegations for the fatal shooting of Shymel Drinks at a traffic light in 2022, allegedly a revenge strike for the earlier slayings of two members of the YSL gang, which prosecutors claimed was co-founded by Young Thug. Stillwell was handed a maximum 10-year sentence for firearm possession, reduced by the two years he had already served, with the remainder to be fulfilled on probation.
Prior to the trial's inception, nine defendants, including rapper Gunna, embraced plea agreements, and four more did so during the October trial sessions. Charges against twelve others remain unresolved. Prosecutors dismissed charges against one defendant subsequent to his conviction for unrelated murder. This left Kendrick and Stillwell, both of whom sustained stab wounds while incarcerated – Stillwell last year and Kendrick on Sunday – standing trial.
Tuesday's verdicts marked a significant blow for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Critics had scrutinized her invocation of the state's anti-racketeering law, which she also deployed against President-elect Donald Trump for his election-reversal endeavors in 2020. "We consistently honor the jury's verdict," stated Jeff DiSantis, a spokesperson for Willis.
Defense lawyers argued that the prosecution relied on flawed evidence – selectively presented song lyrics, cherry-picked social media posts, and unreliable witness testimonies – to construct a misleading portrayal of young men who had turned to music as an escape from economic adversity and troubled backgrounds. The jury's ruling left Kendrick's mother, Tasha Kendrick, in tears of relief.
"I'm incredibly grateful for so many things at this moment," she expressed, her emotions swirling like a stormy sea. Prosecutors alleged that Williams, along with two accomplices, founded Young Slime Life in collaboration with the notorious national Bloods gang in 2012. The 33-year-old musician, who also heads a record label named Young Stoner Life, featured prominently in two of the label's hit songs from its compilation album Slime Language 2, "Take It to Trial" and "Slatty," as well as Young Thug's "Slime Sh-t," which were presented as incriminating evidence by the prosecution.
Williams took a perilous leap of faith by entering a "blind" plea in October – a daring move where he admitted guilt without securing a sentence agreement. His lawyer felt they were on the brink of victory, but Williams himself lamented that sitting in court was akin to a living hell, longing to return to the warmth of his family. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker granted him conditional release under strict probation, imposing a decade-long ban from metro Atlanta, with exceptions for specific occasions.
This trial sent shockwaves through Atlanta's vibrant rap community. Williams, who rose from the humble confines of an Atlanta housing project, evolved into a highly successful artist, infusing his unique melodic flair into the modern Southern trap sound he helped catapult into popularity.
In July, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville was recused from the case after a private meeting with prosecutors and a state witness, without the presence of defense attorneys. Kendrick's attorney, Doug Weinstein, asserted that defendants received a "fair trial" under Whitaker's stewardship. She reprimanded the prosecution for their disorganization and failure to share evidence, among other grievances.
During the closing arguments, Stillwell's defense attorney, Max Schardt, sought to cast aspersions on gang investigators and other state witnesses. Several purported YSL members testified that they had lied to police to evade imprisonment, claiming officers had threatened them with lengthy jail terms if they didn't cooperate. Schardt contended that officers had coerced them with the specter of incarceration.
Prosecutors countered that these witnesses were truthful with police but perjured themselves in court, facing the individuals they had "snitched" on. They argued that their statements were backed by other evidence, such as songs and social media posts where defendants allegedly "bragged about murder."
Weinstein argued that prosecutors haphazardly pieced together lyrics, social media posts, and irrelevant evidence in a shotgun approach, yet failed to prove any connection to a criminal enterprise. Schardt emphasized during closings that while defendants had committed crimes in the past, it was driven by the need to earn money in economically deprived communities, not to advance a gang. Music had been a beacon of hope for some, helping them turn a corner.
"We're all aware of the struggles these communities have faced," Schardt said. "It's a sad, unspoken understanding that the options are often limited to rap, prison, or death."
Both defense attorneys revealed that Kendrick and Stillwell faced other pending charges but expressed optimism about securing their earliest possible release from jail. Schardt noted that Stillwell was fully cognizant of the second chance he had been granted.
Weinstein added that Kendrick, a close confidant of Young Thug, had been laser-focused on his music career before being pulled back into the criminal justice system. "I'm thrilled that he can now draw a definitive line in the sand," Weinstein said. "All of this is in the past. He can move forward with his life, free from these trivial concerns."
