FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Proceedings continued in the YSL RICO trial, following prosecutors resting their case earlier this week. Closing arguments are set to begin as soon as Monday.
The high-profile case has been ongoing for years as the state seeks to establish that members of the alleged gang Young Slime Life (YSL) engaged in criminal activities across the Atlanta metro area.
Jurors did not return to the courtroom Thursday as the court worked on jury charges. Judge Paige Whitaker adjourned early, around noon, to give attorneys time to work ahead of closing arguments next week.
On Wednesday, Defense lawyers indicated that they would ask Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker to direct the jury to issue a verdict of not guilty against Deamonte Kendrick, also known as Yak Gotti, and Shannon "SB" Stillwell on Wednesday, which requires the lawyers to argue that no reasonable person could find that the state had proved Kendrick and Stillwell guilty.
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Atlanta rapper Young Thug, a central figure in the case, recently pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges. A few weeks ago, he was released from jail on a 15-year probation sentence, leaving the remaining defendants to face ongoing prosecution.
Two defendants -- Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick -- remain on trial with their fate resting in the hands of the jury. Kendrick's attorney, Doug Weinstein, noted his client was rejecting a plea offer and "fully intends to take this to the jury and get our not guilty verdicts."
The remaining two defendants declined to testify in the trial. The defense attorneys also let the judge know that they don't plan on presenting evidence.
The trial took many twists and turns. It took nearly 10 months to seat a jury last year. The original judge, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, was removed from the trial this summer after a June 10 proceeding, known as an ex parte meeting, that became the subject of deep contention in the trial.
Jury selection took nearly 10 months, and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, the original judge, was removed from the case in July after defense attorneys filed a recusal motion based on a secretive meeting he held with prosecutors and a state witness. Judge Glanville later released the transcript of the meeting with the witness, Kenneth Copeland, a.k.a. "Lil Woody."
The case would later fall under Judge Whitaker. Several people previously took plea deals in the case.
