YSL Trial Ends as Final Defendants Are Acquitted of Gang and Murder Charges

The YSL trial is over. Two months after Young Thug walked free from jail, the longest trial in Georgia history concluded on Tuesday (December 3) with the acquittal of the final defendants, Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell, on the murder, racketeering, and gang charges against them, The New York Times reports.

Stillwell, who was found guilty of gun possession, received a 10-year prison sentence, but the judge, Paige Reese Whitaker, converted eight years to probation and commuted the remaining two to time served. During their years awaiting the trial and sentencing, both defendants survived stabbings in jail—Stillwell in December 2023 and Yak Gotti on Sunday. Unlike their co-defendants, most of whom had their cases dropped or took deals to secure their freedom, both Stillwell and Yak Gotti pleaded not guilty and successfully took their cases to trial.

The verdict was a blow to Fulton County District Attorney and lead prosecutor Fani T. Willis, who faced criticism for her handling of a case that presented YSL as a violent gang with Young Thug at its helm. The prosecution’s submission of song lyrics as evidence renewed debate around the highly contested practice, and several procedural blunders led the judge to lambast the prosecution shortly before the case wound down. A spokesperson for Willis, Jeff DiSantis, said, “We always respect the verdict of a jury,” according to The Associated Press.

What Young Thug and Gunna’s Indictment Means for Rap Music on Trial