The group of defendants in the long-running YSL trial is quickly dwindling. After Young Thug’s bombshell guilty plea on October 31, leading to his release from prison, just two defendants remain: Yak Gotti and Shannon Stillwell. Marquavius Huey and Rodalius Ryan, a.k.a. Lil Rod, both previously took plea deals on October 30, while Quamarvious Nichols pleaded the day before.
When court returned on November 4, Gotti (born Deamonte Kendrick) and Stillwell made it clear they wanted to continue with the trial. Below, the latest on their cases along with Thug’s plea and what led to this.
The remaining defendants
Gotti and Stillwell will both move ahead with their cases. Both defendants and their attorneys returned to court on November 4 after turning down plea deals the week prior. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker asked if either would like to join the motion for a mistrial without prejudice that attorneys for Nichols previously made on October 23, and both declined. Afterward, Whitaker brought in the jury for the first time since October 23, saying, “You will notice that certain of the co-defendants are no longer before you for reasons that do not concern you,†per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Then the state continued its questioning of rapper Slimelife Shawty.
Following Thug’s plea on October 31, the state revealed its most recent offers to Gotti and Stillwell. The state had offered Gotti a sentence of 20 years (and to serve 15 of which in custody) as well as to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, one count of voluntary manslaughter (reduced from murder), and one count of criminal street-gang activity. The state had offered Stillwell a sentence of 60 years, serving 40 of which in prison, in addition to pleading guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter (both reduced from murder) and other to-be-determined charges.
Stillwell’s and Gotti’s attorneys continued to turn down plea offers last week. Yak Gotti’s attorney, Doug Weinstein, said earlier on October 31 that his client (born Deamonte Kendrick) still did not intend to plead guilty. “Yak Gotti has rejected the state’s latest plea offer and fully intends to take this to the jury and get our not guilty verdicts and go home,†Weinstein told Atlanta’s WSB-TV. Weinstein later tweeted on November 2 that District Attorney Fani Willis had been “a no show†after she requested to meet with him “early last week.â€
Law & Crime also reported on October 31 that Shannon Stillwell rejected a new plea deal. Stillwell’s attorney, Max Schardt, previously told legal reporter Meghann Cuniff he was “wrongfully accused.†Schardt said on October 29, “We have never wavered. Mr. Stillwell is innocent and we are fully prepared to continue to fight this case in Court once the trial resumes.â€
Young Thug’s plea
Young Thug entered a non-negotiated plea on October 31, following a dramatic moment of hesitation in court. Thug, born Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty to one gang charge along with multiple firearm and drug charges, while pleading no contest to the central RICO charge and to a gang leadership charge. He was sentenced to 40 years, to serve five, commuted to time served, allowing him to leave prison for the first time in more than two years. He will serve 15 years of probation, with a 20-year backloaded sentence to follow, which will be suspended if he meets the terms of his probation.
Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, emphasized that he expected to see the trial through, but Thug wanted the chance to go home to his family and to take care of his health. Thug was apologetic in addressing Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, committing himself to changing his life after the trial. “I am a smart guy, I am a good guy, and I really got a good heart,†he said. Delivering her sentence, Whitaker reminded Thug of his influence, asking him to be “more of the solution and less of the problem.â€
Judge Whitaker said Young Thug and his attorneys were at an “impasse†with the state after coming “very close†in plea negotiations when court first resumed late in the afternoon on October 31. Whitaker said Thug planned to enter a non-negotiated plea, but Young Thug looked hesitant as his attorneys did not respond. Whitaker asked if she was “misinformed†before calling a recess for Thug to consult with his attorneys. Court returned around a half-hour later, with Thug prepared to enter his non-negotiated plea.
In a non-negotiated plea, Young Thug would plead guilty to certain charges, but the state and his attorneys would each have an opportunity to argue for their own recommended sentence. Judge Whitaker would then independently rule on a sentence.
Marquavius Huey’s plea deal
Marquavius Huey, 28, originally faced 19 charges and pleaded guilty to a reduction of those charges on October 30. He pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, one count of aggravated assault, multiple robbery charges, and multiple firearm charges. The robbery charges had been reduced from armed robbery, while other robbery, firearm, and gang-related charges had been dismissed. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced him to 25 years with nine years to be served, nine years of probation, and five years suspended. Whitaker said the reduction was “frankly remarkable,†noting that Huey was originally facing three consecutive life sentences, plus around 100 more years in prison if he were to have been convicted on all charges.
After the plea, Huey, wearing a brown suit, made a short, reserved statement. He thanked the court and God, while apologizing to his family and his two children — one of whom, a 2-year-old daughter, he had never seen before today. “I plan to do my time, come back, and be a better man,†Huey said. One of his attorneys, Careton Matthews Sr., had outlined Huey’s plan to become involved in a nonprofit working with young Black boys following his release and to get his commercial driver’s license and start a trucking company. “He has learned, grown, and become a better man through this trial, Your Honor,†added his other attorney, Careton Matthews Jr.
Judge Whitaker reminded Huey that, given the significant reduction of his sentence, she would likely not be “as lenient†if he were back in court with violations. “I hope that with your age and with having really been faced with the distinct possibility of spending the entirety of the rest of your life in prison, the fact that you are getting this opportunity is not going to be wasted,†Whitaker told him.
Rodalius Ryan’s plea deal
Rodalius Ryan pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act on October 30. Ryan, who is currently serving a life sentence for a 2019 murder charge, was sentenced to ten years in prison, commuted to time served and to be served concurrent with his life sentence. He was not facing any additional charges in the YSL case.
Ryan, 20, appeared in a gray suit as he made his plea. His attorney, Leah Abbasi, made a passionate defense of YSL, denying that the group “is the criminal and dangerous street gang which it has been made out to be during the course of this trial.†Abbasi added that Ryan, who has been in the court system since he was 15, “was trying to protect himself†by finding community in YSL.
Abbasi also expressed hope that with this plea and the ongoing appeal of his murder sentence, Ryan may soon be out of prison. “I think Mr. Ryan has grown up a lot during this trial,†Abbasi said. “He doesn’t want to sit through this anymore. He doesn’t want to be back in a courtroom ever again, Your Honor.†During sentencing, Judge Whitaker reminded Ryan that he has “most of his life†ahead of him, imploring him to “be on the straight and narrow†in prison, in hopes of his future release. Following Ryan’s plea, Abbasi added to Vulture, “His only comment is that this has been a long journey and he is grateful for it.â€
Quamarvious Nichols’s plea deal
Quamarvious Nichols was the first of the six defendants to take a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to one federal RICO count on October 29, with his remaining charges — including one murder count, two gang-related counts, and three firearms-related counts — being dismissed. Judge Whitaker sentenced Nichols to 20 years with seven years to be served in prison and the balance on probation. One of his attorneys, Bruce Harvey, told Vulture the deal was “an exceptional resolution†afterward.
Nichols wore a black-and-white flannel shirt, khaki pants, and glasses at the podium as Harvey outlined his “very humble beginning,†following the death of his mother in prison and his father in a police shooting. “He is an intelligent young man who I believe has a future,†Harvey said.
The delays
Ahead of the plea deals, court had been adjourned since October 23, following a new mistrial motion by the defense. That night, defense attorneys met with District Attorney Fani Willis, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, prompting speculation that plea deals could be in the works. Atlanta’s Fox 5 has since reported that “several defense attorneys†made counteroffers to plea deals this afternoon, which now “are sitting on … Willis’s desk.†It’s unclear how many defendants are negotiating plea deals and whether central defendant Young Thug is part of that group. Court was set to resume at 3 p.m. on October 28 but was called off. The jury had originally been set to return at 9:30 a.m. October 29, but that was delayed, with Nichols pleading guilty in the afternoon. (The jury is not present for plea deals.)
Testimony from rapper Slimelife Shawty preceded the current delay (and the possible plea deals). On October 23, the state asked Shawty, born Wunnie Lee, to read a caption on an Instagram post from defendant Shannon Stillwell, which featured the two of them. From his paper copy of the post, Shawty read the hashtag “FreeQua,†which was redacted on the copy the state showed the jury. This prompted mistrial motions from attorneys for both Quamarvious Nichols and Marquavius Huey, who both go by Qua, since the statement could have biased the jury by implying either one had been in prison. “We’re not going to be able to unring this bell,†said Nicole Westmoreland, an attorney for Nichols.
A frustrated Judge Paige Reese Whitaker discussed giving the jury a stipulation that #FreeQua did not refer to either Qua on trial, telling prosecutors she was trying to “fix your sloppiness.†Whitaker denied Westmoreland’s motion for a mistrial with prejudice (which would not allow for a retrial) for Nichols, saying she thought the state had made a mistake. However, Whitaker then asked if Westmoreland wanted a mistrial without prejudice, which she said “yes†to, and then asked if any other attorneys would join. After a break, Westmoreland approached Whitaker on the bench, prompting the judge to adjourn court for the day. Court has been called off since, amid the reported meetings with Willis. Whitaker has yet to rule on the mistrial motion, though it is unclear if she will now that both Quas have taken plea deals.