Young Thug’s final YSL co-defendants acquitted of murder charges
The last two Young Thug co-defendants in the YSL RICO trial appeared in court on December 3rd and were acquitted of murder charges.
The decision brings an end to the longest criminal trial in Georgia history, which involved six defendants and over 730 names on the state’s proposed witness list.
According to Rolling Stone, rapper Deamonte ‘Yak Gotti’ Kendrick was found not guilty of all six charges, while Shannon Stillwell was convicted of one count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and found not guilty of his six other charges; the judge sentenced him to time served and probation.
Kendrick and Stillwell were charged with the shooting of Donovan Thomas Jr in January 2015, with Stillwell also charged with the shooting of Shymel Drinks in March 2022. The news arrives after Yak Gotti was reportedly stabbed at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta during a physical altercation over the weekend.
“Deamonte Kendrick, also known as rapper Yak Gotti, and another jail resident were in a physical altercation on Sunday, December 1st,” a department representative told Complex. “Kendrick received treatment for minor injuries from a sharp object at the Fulton County Jail.”
The statement continued, “The incident occurred at the South Annex in Union City where both men were being housed. Kendrick will be in court today. This is an active investigation to determine the aggressor in this incident and if charges will be pending.”
His lawyer, Douglas Weinstein, added, “I did get to speak to him briefly last night. He sounded tired; he was alert. When I spoke to him, he was at the jail getting ready to be transported to the hospital for some stitches. I don’t know his full medical condition. I don’t know the results of what happened at the hospital.”
Prosecutors charged 28 defendants in the YSL RICO indictment in May 2022, with Gunna one of nine co-defendants who accepted plea deals before Young Thug’s trial started. Thug himself was freed from prison in October after accepting a plea deal, where he was sentenced to time served and a total of 15 years of probation.
Upon Young Thug’s release, he told the court: “I take full responsibility for my crimes, for my charges. To really everybody that has got something to do with this situation, I want to say sorry.”
The rapper then proceeded to describe himself as “a good guy with a good heart” who found himself “in a lot of stuff because I was just nice or cool.” Young Thug added, “And I understand that you can’t be that way when you reach a certain height because it could end bad… and it could fall on you.”