One of two men charged with rapper Young criminal and awaits the jury’s verdict. He was booked into jail but is expected to appear in court Monday, his lawyer said.
Attorney Doug Weinstein confirmed that his client, Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, was injured on Sunday. Jurors return Monday to continue deliberating on whether to convict Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell on gang, murder, drug and gun charges.
Stillwell was stabbed in prison nearly a year ago, CBS affiliate WANF reported.
Natalie Ammons, spokeswoman for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, said in an email that Kendrick and another inmate got into an argument in the south annex of the Union City jail. Kendrick was treated for “minor injuries from a sharp object,” she wrote. An investigation into the fight is underway, she said.
Kendrick and Stillwell were among 28 people charged along with Young Thug in May 2022 on charges including conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Jury selection for the trial of six of these defendants began nearly two years ago, and opening statements took place a year ago.
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Prosecutors have tried to show that YSL (Young Slime Life) is a criminal street gang responsible for numerous crimes, WANF reports, but lawyers say YSL is not a gang, but simply the name of a record label, Young Stoner Life.
Four of the defendants, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty in October. The rapper, whose first name is Jeffery Williams, was released on parole. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their attorneys chose not to present evidence or witnesses.
The jury began deliberating last Tuesday afternoon and was dismissed at 5 p.m. Jurors deliberated for about six hours Wednesday before heading into the Thanksgiving holiday. They are expected to resume deliberations on Monday.
Several others from Young Thug faced multiple organized crime, weapons and drug charges, with the star rapper having already spent more than a year and a half in jail awaiting trial, WANF reported.
The trial’s jury selection took longer than any other trial in Georgia history, the channel reported.
