YSL RICO Trial: Jury to decide fate of 2 remaining defendants

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Georgia’s longest running criminal trial moved to the next phase Monday as Fulton County prosecutors and defense attorneys made their final pitches to the jury to decide the fate of the final two defendants on trial: Deamonte Kendrick, known as Yak Gotti, and Shannon Stillwell.

"In Fulton County, nobody is above the law and that is why you’re here," said Christian Adkins, a Fulton County District Attorney’s Office Assistant District Attorney.

YSL RICO Trial: Prosecution gives closing argument

Prosecutors boiled down the last 12 months into just a matter of hours. The state argued that Kendrick and Stillwell were part of a vast conspiracy that included a lot of violence.

"Over and over and over, they show you they have guns, and we’re not afraid to use them," Adkins said. "Believe them. The evidence has shown it."

The state talked about the law, went through evidence, like surveillance videos and social media posts. They say all of it shows YSL members like Kendrick and Stillwell committed crimes to further the gang.

Both co-defendants are charged with murder, RICO and multiple other charges.

"If someone murders a rival gang member twice, I think it’s pretty clear they knowingly and willfully agreed to whether they signed on the dotted line," Adkins said.

YSL RICO Trial: Defense gives closing arguments

Once prosecutors finished their initial closing arguments, Stillwell’s attorney fired back.

"There’s a big difference between making allegations and proving them in court," said Stillwell’s attorney Max Schardt.

Stillwell's attorney says prosecutors have not proved their case and his client did not violate the RICO Act or kill anyone.

"He didn’t kill Donovan Thomas," Schardt said. "Well, he killed Shymel Drinks. That's proof right there. He didn’t kill Shymel Drinks."

Kendrick and Stillwell’s attorneys are both adamant the evidence is on their side.

"Looking at the evidence presented to you and any review of that evidence would have you come back with findings of not guilty," said Kendrick’s attorney, Doug Weinstein.

Deliberation is expected to begin on Tuesday.

Yak Gotti hopeful for verdict in YSL RICO trial

Taking to social media, Kendrick shared optimism about his release date after prosecutors dropped his drug possession and intent to distribute counts.

"See y'all by Christmas, God willing Thanksgiving," he wrote. "3 Charges dropped, Plus unlimited support."

Kendrick and Stillwell both still face murder and racketeering charges.

Previous YSL RICO plea deals and conflicts

Young Thug, the 33-year-old Atlanta-born Grammy winning artist whose given name is Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty to gang, drug and gun charges in October after negotiations with prosecutors broke down. That left the sentence up to Whitaker, who gave him a 40-year sentence that let him walk free on probation with hefty restrictions, including a ban from the metro Atlanta area for the first 10 years except for certain occasions.

The slow-moving trial has been fraught with problems from the start. Jury selection took nearly 10 months, and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, the original judge, was removed from the case in July after defense attorneys filed a recusal motion based on a secretive meeting he held with prosecutors and a state witness.

Whitaker took over the case and often lost patience with prosecutors for what she once called "poor lawyering." She and defense attorneys scolded prosecutors for not sharing evidence in advance.

More than 175 witnesses testified throughout the trial. Prosecutors alleged that Young Thug and two others co-founded a violent criminal street gang in 2012 called Young Slime Life, or YSL, which they say is affiliated with the national Bloods gang.

At Young Thug’s plea hearing, defense attorney Brian Steel said that Young Thug was "falsely accused" and the evidence against him was weak. He also condemned the use of rap lyrics during the trial.

Steel said he thought they were winning the trial and wanted to stick it out to a jury verdict, but Young Thug wanted to go home to his family instead of sitting through the rest of the trial, which felt like "hell."

Nine people charged in the indictment, including Atlanta rapper Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, accepted plea deals before the trial began. Twelve others are to be tried separately. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case.