Final defendants not guilty of murder in trial that led to a deal with rapper Young Thug

ATLANTA– The lengthy gang and racketeering trial that led to Atlanta rapper Young Thug pleading guilty in October ended Tuesday with the final two defendants found not guilty of racketeering, murder and gang-related charges.

Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, was acquitted of all charges and Shannon Stillwell was only found guilty of weapons possession. The verdicts came nearly two years after jury selection began and a year after statements opened in a trial plagued by problems.

The original, sweeping indictment used song lyrics and social media posts as evidence and charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Young Thug, a Grammy-winning artist whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was released on probation after pleading guilty to gang, drug and weapons charges in October.

Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in 2015 in a drive-by shooting outside an Atlanta hair salon that killed Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” who prosecutors said belonged to a rival gang. Stillwell was also accused of fatally shooting Shymel Drinks at a red light in 2022, allegedly in retaliation for the murder a few days earlier of two associates of a gang called YSL, which prosecutors say was co-founded by Young Thug.

Stillwell was sentenced to a maximum sentence of 10 years for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon previously convicted of a felony involving a firearm, with credit for two years already served and the remainder to be served on probation.

Nine of the defendants, including rapper Gunna, accepted plea agreements before the trial began, and four others pleaded guilty during the trial in October. Charges against twelve other people are still pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against a defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. That left Kendrick and Stillwell, both stabbed to death in prison – Stillwell last year and Kendrick on Sunday.

Tuesday’s rulings were a major setback for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Critics had criticized her use of the state’s racketeering law, which she also used to bring charges against President-elect Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

“We always respect the verdict of a jury,” said Jeff DiSantis, a spokesman for Willis.

Defense attorneys said the state relied on flawed evidence — song lyrics, select social media posts and unreliable witness statements — to create a misleading narrative about young men who turned to music to escape economic hardship and difficult pasts.

The jury’s decision brought tears to Tasha Kendrick, Kendrick’s mother.

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

Prosecutors said Williams and two others founded Young Slime Life in 2012 in collaboration with the national Bloods gang. The 33-year-old artist also has a record label called Young Stoner Life. Kendrick is featured on two of the most popular songs from the label’s Slime Language 2 compilation album, “Take It to Trial” and “Slatty,” as well as Young Thug’s “Slime Sh-t,” which prosecutors entered into evidence.

Williams took a risky “blind” plea in October – meaning he pleaded guilty without agreeing to his sentence. Williams’ lawyer said he had a feeling they would win, but the rapper complained that it felt “hellish” to be in court and wanted to go home to his family. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker released him from prison on probation with strict conditions, including a 10-year ban from the Atlanta metro area except for certain occasions.

The trial rocked the Atlanta rap scene. Williams grew up in a violent housing project in Atlanta and became a hugely successful artist, adding his own melodic touch to the modern Southern trap sound he popularized.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville was dismissed from the case in July after meeting with prosecutors and a witness without defense attorneys present. Kendrick’s attorney, Doug Weinstein, said the defendants received a “fair trial” once Whitaker took office. Among other things, she criticized the public prosecutor’s office for being disorganized and not passing on evidence.

During the investigation, Stillwell’s defense attorney, Max Schardt, attempted to cast doubt on the state’s gang investigators and other witnesses. Several alleged YSL members said they lied to police to avoid going to prison. Schardt said officers threatened them with long prison sentences if they didn’t say the right thing.

Prosecutors said these witnesses were honest with police but lied on the witness stand and to the people who “ratted on” them. They said their statements were supported by other evidence such as songs and social media posts in which they said the defendants were “bragging about murder.”

Prosecutors compiled song lyrics, social media posts and irrelevant evidence to “see what sticks,” Weinstein argued, but failed to prove they were connected to a criminal enterprise.

Although defendants have committed crimes in the past during closures, Schardt said, this was done to make money for themselves in communities without economic opportunities – and not to advance a gang. And the music kept some of them going.

“By and large, we know the difficulties that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rape, prison or death.”

Both defense attorneys said there are additional charges pending against Kendrick and Stillwell, but they hope they will be released from prison as quickly as possible.

Stillwell isn’t “blind to the fact that he’s getting a second chance at life,” Schardt said.

Weinstein said Kendrick, who is close friends with Young Thug, was fully focused on his music career before the state dragged him back into the criminal justice system.

“I’m so happy that he can now draw a line, so to speak,” Weinstein said. “That’s all behind him. He can move on with his life and not have to worry about this nonsense.”

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Kramon is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.