YSL RICO trial: Attorney for co-defendant wants mistrial over leaked video
Jayden Myrick in Fulton County Jail in 2018. (FOX 5)
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - An attorney representing one of the 14 defendants in Fulton County's Young Slime Life gang case wants a judge to declare a mistrial.
In a motion filed Tuesday, Gina Bernard, who represents the defendant Jayden Myrick, argued that her client's Sixth Amendment right to a fair and impartial jury was violated.
According to Bernard, a video began spreading on social media on Friday that was part of the trial's discovery material.
While the motion does not detail what was in the video and Bernard says it does not directly implicate her client, the leak of the video along with other courtroom incidents have "made it impossible for him to receive a fair trial, as well as a jury that is honestly and truly fair and impartial."
Myrick, who goes by "SetTrip" or "JayMan," has already been sentenced to life in prison without parole for a robbery and murder outside a wedding venue in Buckhead in July 2018.
In that case, officials say Myrick and co-defendant Torrus Fleetwood spotted four people waiting for a ride-share vehicle outside the Capital City Country Club and robbed them at gunpoint. When one of the men followed Myrick to try and get his license back, officials say Myrick shot him in the stomach.
Who is expected to testify during the YSL RICO trial?
The witness list for the prosecution and the defense contains hundreds of names, including artists like Lil Wayne, Rich Homie Quan and YFN Lucci.
There were also 157 witnesses affiliated with the Atlanta Police Department.
LIL WAYNE, RICH HOMIE QUAN COULD TESTIFY DURING YOUNG THUG, YSL RICO TRIAL
Who is expected to testify at rapper Young Thug's RICO trial?
Fulton County prosecutors say Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is one of the founder of Young Slime Life, a violent Atlanta street gang. The rapper says he's an artist who's been falsely accused. A look at the high-profile witness list
What is YSL?
Fulton County prosecutors say Young Slime Life is a violent criminal street gang that’s commonly known as YSL and is affiliated with the national Bloods gang. They said it was founded in 2012.
Defendants in the case claim that YSL is not a criminal entity, and not to be confused with Young Stoner Life Records, the music label Williams founded.
Rapper Gunna said in a statement he didn’t consider it a gang but rather "a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations." His focus was entertainment, he said, "rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community."
Who else was indicted?
According to a previous indictment, YSL’s founders were Jeffery Williams, Walter Murphy--also known as "DK"--and Trontavious Stephens, also known as "Tick" and "Slug."
Several people named in the indictment appear in Young Stoner Life songs, including Yak Gotti (Deamonte Kendrick) and Unfoonk (Quantavious Grier). Kendrick is one of five people named in the initial indictment for allegedly fatally shooting Donovan Thomas.
Miles Farley, seen in social media posts promoting a clothing brand called "Make America Slime Again," was charged with murder in the initial indictment. He’s one of four people charged in the deadly shooting of "rival gang member" Shymel Drinks.
Prosecutors implicated Farley in YSL, saying he was in photos on social media wearing clothing with the words "Slime" and "is you slime enough." His attorney claims he should be allowed to freely express himself with his clothing, which is not an indication he’s a criminal.
A man accused of shooting a police officer in Atlanta was among the dozens named in the initial indictment. Christian Eppinger, also known as Bhris, was indicted for attempted murder and murder. He was arrested and charged in April in the shooting of Atlanta Police Officer David Rogers, who was trying to arrest him.
What is the RICO Act?
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, was developed to fight organized crime.
The U.S. Department of Justice has used RICO to take down multiple crime families and street gangs.
Violating RICO carries a maximum of 20 years and a fine that is "greater of $25,000 or three times the amount of pecuniary gain."
Under RICO, victims impacted can seek civil recourse without the defendant being able to hide behind bankruptcy to skirt judgment or restitution.
THERE'S NO END IN SIGHT IN THE MONTHS-LONG JURY SELECTION IN THE "YOUNG SLIME LIFE" GANG CASE...
AND AN ATTORNEY REPRESENTING ONE OF THE 14 DEFENDANTS NOW WANTS A JUDGE TO DECLARE A MISTRIAL.
ACCORDING TO A COURT MOTION... GINA BERNARD ARGUED A VIDEO MAKING THE ROUNDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA VIOLATES HER CLIENT'S RIGHT TO A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL JURY.
SHE REPRESENTS JAYDEN MYRICK.
A JUDGE SENTENCED HIM TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE LAST YEAR FOR A DEADLY COUNTRY CLUB SHOOTING.