The YSL trial will continue next week with the remaining two co-defendants after four others decided to take plea deals.
Deamonte Kendrick, also known as Yak Gotti, and Shannon Stillwell, also known as SB, are charged with multiple counts related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity, along with drug and gun violations.
Prosecutors claim that Kendrick and Stillwell were part of a gang called YSL, or Young Slime Life.
They were originally on trial with rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and three others. Williams, Rodalius Ryan, Marquavius Huey and Quamarvious Nichols took plea deals last month.
Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick Reject Plea Deals
Stillwell and Kendrick were also offered plea deals by the state, which they both rejected.
Prosecutors had asked Kendrick to plead guilty to conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and willful participation in street gang activity. They would have also reduced his murder charge to voluntary manslaughter under the agreement.
Prosecutors would have recommended he be sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years on probation on all charges, which he would have served concurrently.
The state would have also agreed to not prosecute Kendrick on the remaining charges he was facing.
Stillwell was offered a sentence of 40 years in prison and 20 years on probation. The two murder charges he is facing would have been reduced to voluntary manslaughter.
Notable Witnesses
Several notable witnesses took the stand after the trial resumed with the remaining co-defendants.
Slimelife Shawty, whose real name is Wunnie Lee, began testifying on October 23. He was listed on the initial indictment but accepted a plea deal in 2022.
During his testimony, he accidentally read the unredacted printout of a social media caption rather than the redacted version shown on a monitor. The caption featured the hashtag “Free Qua.”
Defense attorneys filed a motion for a mistrial, arguing that jurors were not supposed to know which defendants had previously been in prison.
The motion was denied after the two defendants who use the nickname “Qua,” Huey and Nichols, accepted plea deals.
Lee continued his testimony when the trial resumed on November 4. The prosecution asked Lee questions about social media posts, video and common abbreviations used by YSL members.
When he was asked what the term “SLATT” means, he said it’s just a part of the group’s “lingo.”
“It can mean anything you want it to mean, however you want to use it,” Lee said.
Prosecutors asked if it stood for “Slime Love All the Time.” Lee said that could be one way to use the term. The prosecution later showed a photo of the word “SLATT” graffitied on the tombstone of Donovan Thomas. Kendrick and Stillwell are charged with Thomas’ murder.
Another co-defendant who pleaded out of the case in 2022 was also called to the stand. Antonio Sumlin, who goes by the nickname Obama, testified in the case on Wednesday.
Sumlin said he never viewed YSL as a gang.
“I had a friend, who when I came home from prison, he was successful, so I thought I was a part of something successful,” Sumlin said.
‘Biased’ Juror Asks to be Removed from Trial
A juror asked to be removed from the jury on November 5, claiming he was “biased” and slamming the length of the trial.
The juror sent two emails to the assistant of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker. Whitaker read the messages in court.
“I am requesting to be removed from the current case,” the first email said. “Due to the length of this trial and how the state has handled this case, I can no longer be unbiased towards any decisions moving forward. Yesterday provided a glimpse of how the state presented its evidence, and I foresee another three to six months with the remaining defendants.
The second email was similar but said, “I will be biased towards any decisions moving forward,” rather than, “I can no longer be unbiased.”
Whitaker called the juror into the courtroom and informed them that it was “probable” that the trial would be over by the end of the year.
She then asked if the juror could still assess the evidence with an open mind and decide the case based on the evidence alone. They answered the questions affirmatively.
Whitaker sent them back to the jury room and did not grant their request to be removed.
The State Calls its Final Witness
Prosecutors called the final witness on their list to the stand on Thursday.
Investigator Marissa Viverito is an investigative gang analyst with the Atlanta Police Department.
She spoke about how gangs use social media to communicate.
“Graffiti used to kind of be the newspaper for the gang. You’d go to the neighborhoods and you’d look to graffiti and see who’s been dead or who they’re disrespecting, who’s claiming the territory. Now, modern day, that’s all shifted to social media,” Viverito said. “It allows you to still do that and not assume much of the risk that you have standing out there doing these kinds of things. Gangs love social media, and it’s probably one of the most important things you need to pay attention to in gang investigations.”
Viverito is expected to continue testifying on Monday. The state is expected to rest its case after her testimony concludes.
After the state rests, the defense will begin calling witnesses and presenting its case.
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