Co-defendant of Young Thug stabbed in jail while awaiting verdict, lawyer says

3 months ago 4

One of two remaining co-defendants in Georgia's longest-running criminal trial was stabbed in jail, his lawyer said Monday morning, as jurors resumed deliberations in the sprawling racketeering case that had included rap superstar Young Thug.

Douglas Weinstein, a lawyer for Deamonte Kendrick, a rapper known as Yak Gotti, said in a TikTok post that he was stabbed in the Fulton County Jail's south annex and spoke with him Sunday night as he was awaiting to be transported to a hospital for stitches.

"While he sounded tired, I expect him to make a full recovery," Weinstein posted on X. "I expect to be able to see him in court today and will know more then."

Weinstein could not immediately say the circumstances surrounding the incident or the extent of Kendrick's injuries. The Fulton County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jurors in the case against Kendrick and co-defendant Shannon Stillwell returned to court Monday morning to decide the men's fate in connection to multiple charges linked to the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statute. The deliberations began last Tuesday afternoon.

The case initially featured 28 co-defendants, including Young Thug, whom Fulton County prosecutors accused in a 2022 indictment of leading an Atlanta street gang, Young Slime Life, or YSL. (Young Thug founded his own label, YSL Records, in 2016.)

The trial against the co-defendants started in January 2023 but dragged on through multiple delays and unexpected turns after several defendants took plea deals while others chose to be tried separately from Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams.

Opening statements began in November 2023 with six co-defendants. The proceedings, which have been livestreamed, have riveted social media users, with prosecutors using the Grammy-winning rapper's song lyrics to claim violence and illegal acts and bizarre moments involving alleged drug exchanges, uncooperative star witnesses and combative incidents involving the previous judge.

In December 2023, Stillwell was stabbed during a fight in jail, further delaying the trial.

The trial was halted again in July, when the original trial judge was removed after holding a private meeting with prosecutors and a star witness that failed to include members of the defense. Then, in October, the trial began to unravel following a prosecutorial misstep during a witness' testimony, leading to a possible mistrial.

Four of the six co-defendants entered into plea agreements, including Young Thug. In taking a deal, the rapper was released from jail with his 40-year sentence commuted to time served and 15 years of probation.

Georgia's previous longest criminal trial lasted about eight months and involved Atlanta public school educators accused of racketeering in a cheating scandal.