Unable to reach a verdict after more than eight hours of deliberations, the Fulton County jury hearing the sprawling “Young Slime Life” gang and racketeering case was sent home Wednesday afternoon for the holiday weekend.
Two defendants remain in the longest trial in Georgia’s history. Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick are both charged with murder, and each faces life in prison if convicted of all the charges they face.
There were six defendants when the trial began last November, including Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug. Prosecutors accused the musician, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, of being the co-founder and leader of YSL, which they argued is a violent street gang based in south Atlanta.
Williams and three others entered guilty pleas last month. The rap star was sentenced to 15 years of probation and banished from metro Atlanta for the next decade.
Throughout the trial, attorneys for Kendrick and Stillwell sought to poke holes in the state’s case, introducing doubt wherever possible as they recapped the last 12 months of grueling testimony. They accused prosecutors of calling unreliable witnesses, some of whom admitted to lying to investigators years ago in order to themselves.
The prosecution’s evidence consisted largely of social media posts, rap lyrics and the testimony of law enforcement officers and one-time YSL associates. Some of those admitted associates seemed reluctant to testify against their old friends.
Jury selection in the trial began Jan. 4, 2023, and opening statements were given exactly one year ago Wednesday.
Deliberations are expected to resume Monday morning.
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