FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — In Georgia's longest-running criminal trial, the jurors are ready to be released. Soon, they'll have to decide whether the defendants should be freed, too.
"These jurors... I mean they are trying to live their lives," a frustrated Judge Paige Reese Whitaker said last Wednesday as she looked at upcoming schedule conflicts.
Opening statements began on November 27, 2023. Closing arguments began and concluded on Monday — almost exactly a year later. On Tuesday, the judge is expected to give instructions to the jury before deliberations begin.
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"There's been so many things that have happened throughout the past year," said attorney Chuck Boring, who is not involved with this case. "Who knows what actually stuck with them or did not stick with them?"
State prosecutors will have up to five hours on Monday to make their final case against Deamonte Kendrick (also known as Yak Gotti) and Shannon Stillwell.
The two defendants declined plea deals earlier in November, opting to let jurors decide their fate instead. Both are charged with multiple criminal counts, including murder and RICO.
The latter charge can complicate jury instructions and closing arguments.
"With RICO, there are different layers of what you have to prove with predicate acts, those types of things," Boring said. "It's more difficult to have to explain."
In 2015, 11Alive reported then-prosecutor Fani Willis and her colleague spent nearly three and a half hours on closing arguments in the APS cheating scandal trial. That was another lengthy and complex RICO case.
"With the APS case, it was difficult to explain and you had a number of defendants," Boring said. "Here, you just have two, so maybe they don't have to spend as much time on that."
If all goes as planned, the judge hopes to finish most of the closing arguments on Monday, with jury instructions on Tuesday.
How the YSL trial could unfold next week
While this was the outline discussed, the trial's timeline could unfold differently.
Monday, Nov. 25
Closing arguments set to begin. Attorneys have been told to be in court at 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 26
Closing arguments are set to be finished (if extra time is needed.) The judge would give jury instructions and charges. Deliberations could possibly begin, but this also depends on how long closing argument take.
Wednesday, Nov. 27
Jury deliberations could take place. This also marks one years since the opening statements.
Thursday, Nov. 28
There's no court due to Thanksgiving.
Friday, Nov. 29
There's no court due to this being the day after Thanksgiving.