Six weeks after Grammy-winning rapperĀ Young ThugĀ pleaded out of his gang and racketeering conspiracy caseĀ in Atlanta, his two remaining co-defendants were acquitted of murder charges Tuesday, ending the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia state history.

Deamonte ā€œYak Gottiā€ Kendrick was found not guilty of all six charges he was facing. He hung his head, made the sign of the cross and then embraced his lawyer, Doug Weinstein. Shannon Stillwell was convicted of one count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He was found not guilty of his seven other charges. Stillwell turned and hugged his lawyer, Max Schardt. Minutes later, the judge sentenced him to time served and probation. Both men had been charged with the deadly drive-by shooting of Donovan Thomas Jr. outside a barber shop on Jan. 10, 2015. Stillwell was further charged with the March 14, 2022nd shooting death of Shymel Drinks.

The case dates back toĀ May of 2022ndĀ when Young Thug and Gunna, along with 26 others, were charged with a variety of offenses including conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, murder, armed robbery and participation in criminal street gang activity.

The trial was the longest in Georgia history. The jury selection process took ten months, and the trial properĀ began just over a year ago. Young Thug ended up takingĀ an unusual non-negotiated plea dealĀ on Halloween. He pleaded guilty to all counts, aside from the charge of racketeering and the charge of being a gang leader. To those, he pleaded nolo contendere ā€“ which means he neither admits nor denies a charge. In exchange, he was given a sentence of time served and 15 years of probation, with a ā€œback-loadedā€ prison sentence of 20 years set to take effect if he violates the conditions of his release.

GunnaĀ pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge before the trial started,Ā and was sentenced to time served. He and his legal team entered an Alford plea where he plead guilty to one charge because it was in his best interest to do so as far as his freedom goes. In the end, Gunna was sentenced to 5 years, with 1 year already served in prison. The 4-year sentence left was suspended and Gunna was made to serve the rest in the form of 500 hours of community service.