The last 2 defendants in the Young Thug case have been found not guilty of gang murder

The long-running gang and racketeering trial that led to Atlanta rapper Young Thug’s guilty plea in October ended Tuesday when the last two defendants were found not guilty of racketeering, murder and gang-related charges.

Deamonte Kendrick, who played Yak Gotti, was acquitted of all charges while Shannon Stillwell was found guilty only of possession of a firearm.

The rulings came nearly two years after jury selection began and a year after opening statements in the embattled trial. The first, intense indictment used song lyrics and social media posts as evidence and charged 28 people with conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Young Thug, the Grammy-winning singer whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was released on probation after pleading guilty in October to gang, drug and gun charges.

Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in a 2015 shooting outside an Atlanta barbershop that killed Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” who prosecutors say was in a gang.

Stillwell was also charged with shooting and killing Shymel Drinks at a red light in 2022, allegedly in retaliation for the murders of two members of the gang known as YSL, which prosecutors said was founded by Young Thug.

Stillwell was sentenced to 10 years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, with credit for two years already served and the remainder to be served on probation.

Nine defendants, including rapper Gunna, accepted plea deals before the trial began, and four pleaded guilty during the trial, in October. Charges against 12 others are pending.

Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. That left Kendrick and Stillwell, both of whom were stabbed while incarcerated — Stillwell last year and Kendrick on Sunday.

The district attorney used the same law to impeach Trump

Tuesday’s rulings had a big impact on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Critics have criticized his use of the state’s anti-fraud law, which he has used to indict President-elect Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

“We always respect the judge’s decision,” said Jeff DiSantis, Willis’ spokesman.

Defense attorneys said the state relied on flawed evidence — song lyrics, poorly chosen social media sites and unreliable witness testimony — to create a misleading story about young men who turned to music to escape economic hardship and hard times.

The jury’s decision left Kendrick’s mother, Tasha Kendrick, in tears.

“I’m thankful for a lot of things right now,” she said. “My emotions are all over the place right now.”

Prosecutors say Williams and two others founded Young Slime Life in partnership with the Bloods national group in 2012. The 33-year-old singer also owns a record company called Young Stoner Life.

Deamonte Kendrick was featured on two of the most popular songs from the label’s compilation album The Language of Slime 2 – Take it to Court again Slatty – and Young Thug’s Slime Shit, prosecutors presented as evidence.

Williams entered a dangerous “blind” plea — meaning he pleaded guilty without a deal on his sentence — in October.

Young Thug was released from prison on strict terms

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker released him from prison on probation with strict restrictions, including a 10-year ban from metro Atlanta except for certain occasions.

The case rocked the Atlanta rap scene.

Williams grew up in an Atlanta housing project and became a highly successful artist who added his own melodic twist to the modern Southern trap sound he helped popularize.

During closing arguments, Stillwell’s attorney, Max Schardt, sought to cast doubt on gang investigators and other state witnesses.

A number of alleged YSL members have testified that they lied to the police to get out of jail. Schardt said the police threatened them with long prison terms if they didn’t say the right thing.

The prosecutors said that those witnesses were loyal to the police but they lied in court, in front of the people who “trapped” them.

They said their statements were consistent with other evidence such as songs and social media where they said the defendants were bragging about killing.

Prosecutors combined songs, social media posts and circumstantial evidence to “see what’s relevant,” Weinstein said, but did not prove they were connected to the criminal enterprise.

Both defendants’ attorneys say Kendrick and Stillwell have other charges pending, but they hope to get them out of jail as soon as possible.