ATLANTA — In a new development in the long-running YSL RICO case, the lawyers for defendant Deamonte Kendrick filed a motion for mistrial.
In the motion filed on Tuesday, Kendrick's attorneys expressed concerns over "tainted testimony." The motion cites a secret, ex-parte meeting between the court and prosecutors held on June 10.
"Kendrick’s Constitutional rights were violated when neither he nor his attorneys were present at a critical stage of the proceedings – the secret, ex parte meeting among the State, Chief Judge Glanville, Copeland, State investigators, court staff, and deputies," the motion stated.
Attorneys for Kendrick previously stated they were not provided notice of the meeting and added that they were "in the dark." Multiple attorneys for the defense called Glanville biased and want another judge assigned to the case and for any further meetings, and transcripts from those meetings, to be disclosed.
The new motion comes after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker was appointed to the case after Judge Ural Glanville's recusal.
Young Thug's attorney filed a motion to grant bond for Young Thug in a new appeal, according to court documents.
11Alive also obtained court documents from Deamonte Kendrick's attorney that show an appeal was filed to grant him bond.
More on the Young Thug, YSL trial
On May 9, 2022, the hip-hop world was jolted with the news that rapper Young Thug—a Grammy winner, trendsetter and Atlanta icon—had been arrested.
It's been over two years now that the artist, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, has remained behind bars. The central charge against him is that three letters with which his name has become synonymous because of his artistic success in launching the "Young Stoner Life" label, YSL, actually signalize a violent gang: Young Slime Life.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis named Williams, among other metro Atlanta rappers and those with ties to the alleged gang, to bring charges against a total of 28 people in a sweeping 88-page indictment. The case alleges that not only is Young Thug among the gang's members, but he is also its kingpin.
"He is the one they're all afraid of," a prosecutor said at a June 2022 hearing. "He's the one that's King Slime."
A long pretrial process passed to an even longer jury selection process, and across this time, the co-defendant list dwindled with plea deals and other circumstances, keeping some of the individuals charged from remaining on the case.
The trial finally began in earnest in November 2023, already considered the longest in Georgia's history.
11Alive has tracked key developments in the case and highlighted moments in the courtroom. Follow along in the timeline below.