Yak Gotti Found Not Guilty, Shannon Stillwell Guilty of One Charge as YSL Trial Closes
Written by on December 3, 2024
A Fulton County jury has delivered verdicts for the two remaining defendants in the YSL trial, concluding Georgia’s longest-running criminal trial.
Deamonte Kendrick, known in the music industry as rapper Yak Gotti, was found not guilty on all charges. Meanwhile, Shannon Stillwell was convicted on a single charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The case was handed to the jury last week, and deliberations concluded Tuesday, wrapping up a trial that has lasted over a year since testimony began in November 2023.
Stillwell and Kendrick were accused of participating in the 2015 drive-by killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” who was reportedly a rival gang member.
Gotti was stabbed Sunday at the Fulton County Jail’s south annex in Union City, according to multiple sources. The incident did not occur at the main facility on Rice Street.
Sources reported to WSB-TV Atlanta that Kendrick sustained minor injuries in the attack. The Fulton County Sherrif’s Office released a statement:
“Deamonte Kendrick, also known as rapper Yak Gotti, and another jail resident were in a physical altercation on Sunday, December 1. Kendrick received treatment for minor injuries from a sharp object at the Fulton County Jail. The incident occurred at the South Annex in Union City where both men were being housed. Kendrick will be in court today. This is an active investigation to determine the aggressor in this incident and if charges will be pending.”
Last week, Yak Gotti caught a break in his portion of the YSL Trial as some of his charges were dismissed.
According to 11 Allive, Gotti, born Deamonte Kendrick, had three counts related to drug possession and distribution tossed out by Judge Paige Whitaker via directed verdict.
A directed verdict cites, “there is no legally sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to reach a different conclusion.”
Another directed verdict for his additional charges, including a RICO charge, was denied. That filing stated, “A person who was merely present at the scene of the commission of a crime at the time is not necessarily guilty of consent in and concurrence in the commission of the crime unless the evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt that such person committed the alleged crime, helped in the actual perpetration of the crime, or participated in the criminal endeavor.”
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