A former defendant in the lengthy “Young Slime Life” gang trial is finally headed home, but not for long, after a series of hearings dealing with the last few remaining defendants in the case.
Shannon Jackson, also known as Shannon Stillwell, was sentenced to probation and banished from metro Atlanta for five years on Tuesday as punishment for charges that were essentially on hold during the lengthy racketeering trial.
Jackson, who’s lived in Atlanta his whole life, was acquitted of the most serious charges he faced last month following the high-profile case involving Atlanta rapper Young Thug and five others.
Co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick, who was acquitted by the jury, remains in custody for now on charges he picked up during his time behind bars.
Kendrick, a rapper who performs as Yak Gotti, had asked the court to be released on a $20,000 bond, but the judge overseeing his case delayed a ruling on it Tuesday until an outstanding warrant is resolved.
The trial lasted nearly two years, making it the longest in Georgia history. That included a grueling 10-month jury selection process and testimony from more than 175 of the prosecution’s witnesses.
Judge Paige Reese Whitaker also held a final plea hearing Tuesday for a second group of defendants expected to stand trial in late February.
With a different lead prosecutor, whittled down evidence and fewer co-defendants this time around, the second YSL trial is expected to take up to three months, Fulton prosecutor Adam Abbate said.
The number of remaining defendants is down to four after Miles Farley, a 26-year-old who faced murder and other charges, entered a negotiated plea to a single count of conspiring to violate the state’s RICO statute.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
He was sentenced to five years’ probation as a first offender. Whitaker told him if he successfully completes his probation, the charge will be removed from his record.
But violating his probation, the judge told him, could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Farley, who runs a clothing line called “Make America Slime Again,” entered an Alford plea. In such circumstances, defendants do not admit to being guilty of the crime but instead acknowledge it’s in their best interest to enter a plea.
The remaining defendants, many of whom face lengthy prison sentences, said they rejected previous offers from the state.
That includes Christian Eppinger, who is accused of shooting an Atlanta officer six times in 2022 as police sought to arrest him in connection with a previous armed robbery.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Whitaker told the remaining defendants and their attorneys that they are taking a risk by going to trial. The final two defendants in the first trial were acquitted of the most serious charges they faced, Whitaker noted. But a second trial with a different jury, different defendants and different attorneys may not end the same way, she warned.
“It’s a chance that you are taking,” she told the defendants.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Jackson, who had been in jail since March 2022, negotiated a deal with prosecutors to resolve three pending criminal cases that had been on hold during the YSL trial.
He was released from jail Tuesday night and will spend 12 years on probation. In addition to being banished from metro Atlanta for five years, Jackson can’t have any contact with his YSL co-defendants or any member of a criminal street gang. Jackson must also maintain a job while on probation.
Last week, Jackson filed a lawsuit against Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat and the chief jailer over unsafe conditions at the troubled jail.
Jackson and fellow detainee Nkenegen Hambrick said the conditions at the Rice Street facility are unsanitary and dangerous, citing bedbugs and the constant threat of violence. Jackson was stabbed twice in the more than 2½ years he was held at the jail.
He entered a combination of guilty, no contest and Alford pleas Tuesday to 15 charges, including participation in criminal street gang activity, drug and gun possession, theft and serious injury by vehicle.
Judge Belinda Edwards sentenced Jackson on each charge to either probation or time served. She encouraged Jackson, who said he dropped out of school in the ninth grade, to get his GED.
”You’re getting a second opportunity, I suggest you take full advantage of it,” Edwards said. “The next time you get a felony conviction, you’re going to be getting a lot of years.”
Jackson’s attorney, Max Schardt, said his client spent his time in jail reflecting on his past behavior. Jackson has four children and wants to make his loved ones proud, Schardt told the judge.
”A lot of these past acts involve selfishness and immaturity,” Schardt said. “He’s come to realize how valuable life is. He knows that he has people in his corner.”
The second YSL trial is tentatively set to begin Feb. 24.
— Staff writer Jozsef Papp contributed to this article.
