YSL defendant sentenced to 5 years in prison after guilty plea

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced him Wednesday to 20 years, with five to serve behind bars and the remaining 15 years on probation. Garlington will get credit for the nearly three years he’s already spent in jail, Whitaker told him, meaning he could get out in a couple years if not sooner.

If he violates the terms of his probation, however, Whitaker said he will end up back in prison. She called this an opportunity to turn his life around.

“Make good decisions from here on out and stay on the straight and narrow,” she told him. “I hope not to ever see you again because if you violate your probation, you’re coming before me.”

Citing a previous conviction for a drive-by shooting, prosecutors had asked that Whitaker sentence Garlington to 20 years behind bars and another 25 on probation.

He pleaded guilty to five charges, including conspiring to violate the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, two counts of participating in criminal street gang activity, one count of aggravated assault and one count of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to drop his most serious charges, including murder and attempted murder.

That’s been a recurring theme throughout the high-profile case as several people facing life behind bars have been released on probation after pleading guilty.

Of the eight defendants initially charged with murder more than three years ago, only one still faces the charge. None of the defendants have pleaded guilty to murder, and none have been convicted of it, despite the fatal events at the center of the prosecution’s case.

Fulton prosecutors had accused Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, of being the co-founder and leader of Young Slime Life, which they said was an Atlanta-based gang responsible for a rash of robberies, retaliatory shootings and the deaths of at least three people.

Williams pleaded guilty to gun, gang and drug charges last year in what would become the longest criminal trial in Georgia history.

That included a grueling 10-month jury selection process and testimony from more than 175 of the prosecution’s witnesses.

Fulton prosecutors are now gearing up for a second trial involving the remaining alleged YSL members who have yet to be prosecuted. With Garlington’s guilty plea and sentencing, just two defendants remain: Christian Eppinger and Demise McMullen. Jury selection is set to begin June 9, but plea negotiations are still underway, attorneys said.