Yak Gotti was acquitted of all charges, and his co-defendant of the most serious ones, as the long-running YSL trial finally came to an end.
On Tuesday (December 3), a jury in Fulton County reached a decision on the charges facing the two defendants remaining in the case, Gotti and Shannon Stillwell. Gotti was found not guilty on all counts, including a murder charge.
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Stillwell was found guilty on a single charge, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was acquitted of everything else, including two murder counts, and was sentenced to time served and probation.
You can see the moment the verdict was delivered below.
YSL trial verdicts:
Not guilty on all counts for Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick
Not guilty on all major counts for Shannon Stillwell, then sentenced to time served and probation for single gun conviction
Huge and embarrassing loss for Fulton County District Attorney’s Office pic.twitter.com/cAVcfToiHQ
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 3, 2024
The case dates back to May of 2022 when Young Thug and Gunna, along with 26 others, were charged with a variety of offenses including conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, murder, armed robbery and participation in criminal street gang activity.
The trial was the longest in Georgia history. The jury selection process took ten months, and the trial proper began just over a year ago.
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Young Thug ended up taking an unusual non-negotiated plea deal on Halloween. He pleaded guilty to all counts, aside from the charge of racketeering and the charge of being a gang leader. To those, he pleaded nolo contendere – which means he neither admits nor denies a charge.
In exchange, he was given a sentence of time served and 15 years of probation, with a “back-loaded” prison sentence of 20 years set to take effect if he violates the conditions of his release.
A number of other defendants, including Gunna, pleaded out before the trial started. Gunna pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge and was sentenced to time served.
Gunna and his legal team entered an Alford plea where he plead guilty to one charge because it was in his best interest to do so as far as his freedom goes.
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As a result, Gunna was sentenced to five years, with one already served in prison. The four-year sentence left was suspended and Gunna was made to serve the rest in the form of 500 hours of community service.
