New judge denies mistrial motion in Young Thug, YSL case; jury returns Monday

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The new judge in the Young Thug and YSL racketeering trial has denied the mistrial motion filed by defendant Deamonte Kendrick.

The motion, filed on July 23, 2024, and supplemented on July 31, 2024, presented four main grounds for a mistrial:

Impossibility of Redoing Proceedings: Kendrick argued that the proceedings held on June 12, 13, 14, and 17 were tainted and could not be redone following the recusal of the predecessor trial judge. The court rejected this argument, noting that it had already addressed this issue in a previous order and had been working with the parties to determine which testimony and evidence should be resubmitted or re-presented to the jury.

Ex Parte Meeting on June 10: Kendrick claimed that his constitutional rights were violated because he and his counsel were not present at a critical stage during an ex parte meeting held on June 10, 2024. The meeting involved the predecessor judge, prosecutors, and counsel for witness Kenneth Copeland. The court ruled that this meeting did not constitute a "critical stage" that required Kendrick's presence, as it primarily dealt with issues related to Copeland's immunity, which were ancillary to the defendant's rights.

Alleged Coercion of Witness Testimony: Kendrick asserted that the predecessor judge and the prosecutors coerced Copeland into testifying by making potentially inaccurate representations about the law of derivative use immunity and other legal matters. The court acknowledged that some information provided to Copeland may have been inaccurate but found no evidence of coercion that would justify a mistrial. The court also noted that Copeland had been recalled to provide clarifying and correct information in the presence of all parties.

Bias of the Predecessor Judge: The motion claimed that the predecessor judge's comments during the ex parte meeting indicated bias against Kendrick, thus violating his due process rights. The court dismissed this claim, stating that the issue was moot because the predecessor judge had already been recused from the case.

Additionally, Fulton County Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has responded to Shannon Stillwell's attorney's Motion for a Fair Trial by ordering the entire prosecution team working on the Young Thug/YSL trial to undergo training on Brady and other professional obligations of a prosecutor.

According to the order, the training will consist of a video replay of a previously presented session by the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia. The Court will provide the video, and the viewing will occur at the direction of the court.

Defense attorneys have complained multiple times that the state's prosecutors, which is the Fulton County District Attorney's Office, have withheld evidence. 

The most recent instance occurred when attorney Brian Steel, who represents Young Thug, stumbled across a cell phone number during late discovery earlier this week. Initially, the prosecution said they had left it out "inadvertently," but later stated that they omitted it because the person associated with the cell phone number had not yet been arrested. They eventually proved that the number had been included in a previous discovery.

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The jury is scheduled to return to the courtroom on Aug. 12 after an eight-week hiatus, during which time the original judge, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, was removed from the case.

Head to our YouTube channel on Monday for a livestream. 

Since Judge Whitaker took over the case, the judge, state prosecutors, and defense attorneys have spent much of their time arguing over how the trial should proceed. Additionally, Young Thug's attorney, Brian Steel, along with other defense attorneys, have continued efforts to have the prosecutors—Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love and Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton—also removed.

Last week, the state's star witness, Kenneth "Lil Woody," also made a brief appearance in court. Judge Whitaker wanted to ensure that he had representation and that he understood the consequences if he did not testify. When asked if he would testify on Monday, Copeland replied that it depends on how he wakes up.

Young Thug and 27 others were indicted in 2022 for violating Georgia's RICO or racketeering law and committing multiple violent crimes. Following the longest jury selection in history (10 months), a trial for Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) and several co-defendants got underway in November 2023. It is now the longest trial in Georgia history. Prosecutors are attempting to prove that YSL (Young Slime Life) is a criminal street gang responsible for numerous offenses, including murder. The defendants maintain that YSL stands for Young Stoner Life and is the name of a record label founded by Young Thug. Young Thug is facing 8 criminal charges. The trial has been plagued by various disruptions, including illnesses, the arrests of a juror and a lawyer, the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, the removal of the judge originally assigned to the case, and more.