YSL RICO trial continues with final two defendants as Young Thug and others accept plea deals

The YSL RICO trial moves forward with Deamonte Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell as remaining defendants.

The high-profile YSL RICO trial resumed Monday in Fulton County, Georgia, narrowing down to two final defendants, Deamonte "Yak Gotti" Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell, after recent plea agreements reshaped the proceedings. Young Thug, also known as Jeffery Williams, alongside three others, took mid-trial plea deals last week following days of negotiations, leaving Kendrick and Stillwell as the remaining co-defendants in court. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker addressed the jury, reminding them to focus solely on the presented evidence. “The prosecution of those co-defendants is no longer a part of this trial,” she instructed, urging impartiality, as reported by The Rolling Stone

Kendrick, known professionally as Yak Gotti, faces charges including conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, the 2015 murder of Donovan Thomas, and various firearm and controlled substance violations. Stillwell, also known as Shannon Jackson or “SB,” faces RICO conspiracy charges, two murder charges tied to the deaths of Thomas and Shymel Drinks, as well as several gang-related charges and firearm possession according to The Rolling Stone.

The Rolling Stone reported that in the broader YSL case, a total of twelve defendants await separate trials, while charges were recently dismissed against another defendant due to a prior unrelated murder conviction. Prosecutors have framed YSL as a violent street gang, but Williams and his supporters claim it operates as Young Stoner Life, a record label. Williams has maintained his innocence regarding the indictment's allegations, which accuse him of founding and managing YSL as a gang.

The YSL RICO trial, one of the longest-running trials in Georgia’s history, has attracted significant national attention, with Kendrick and Stillwell’s fates now awaiting the jury's decision.