In Atlanta, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took a major L. She’s suffered a loss in the high-profile RICO case against alleged members of the Young Slime Life (YSL) Hip-Hop organization. The long-running legal saga ended with the acquittal of two defendants and the dismissal of charges against six others, further unraveling the once-sweeping indictment, Fox 5 News reported.
On Dec. 3, a Fulton County jury found Deamonte Kendrick, also known as Hip-Hop artist Yak Gotti, not guilty of all charges, while co-defendant Shannon Stillwell was convicted only on a single gun possession charge. Prosecutors had accused the two of gang-related crimes, including murder and conspiracy under Georgia’s RICO statute. Despite a very exhaustive trial, which stretched over nearly two years and featured more than 175 prosecution witnesses, the jury ultimately found insufficient evidence for the most serious allegations, NBC reported.
Following the verdict, Willis’s office filed a motion the next day to dismiss charges against six additional defendants, including Jayden “Settrip” Myrick, Kahlieff “Bobby Hunt” Adams, Damone “Bali” Blalock, Javaris “Tuda” Bradford, Justin Cobb, and Jevon “4Tray” Fleetwood. The court approved the request, bringing an end to the charges for those individuals.
Initially, the case involved 28 defendants, including Grammy-winning artist Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams. Prosecutors alleged that YSL functioned as a criminal street gang responsible for a string of violent crimes across Atlanta. Young Thug himself had faced accusations of leading the gang, but he accepted a plea deal in October 2024, admitting to gang, drug, and gun charges in exchange for probation.
Nine defendants, including artist Gunna, also took plea deals before the trial began. By the time the trial reached its conclusion, only two defendants, Kendrick and Stillwell, remained, with others either pleading guilty or having their cases severed.
The prosecution faced criticism for relying on circumstantial evidence and song lyrics to make its case.
