Jurors in Young Thug YSL’s RICO trial are finally speaking out after the case is over.
YSL trial jurors break silence
On Tuesday (December 4), Atlanta local news station WSB-TV reporter Michael Seiden interviewed 38-year-old Juror No. 56 Jason Collins, who was involved in the largest case in Georgia history. The long 170-day trial had its say.
“It’s very long,” he says in the video below. “You pretty much put your entire life aside. People don’t really know this, but we have our own personal lives. We actually had five jurors, including myself, who died. So, you’re Talking about your whole life is put on hold…and being on the jury, you almost become a family.
Collins also believes the lyrics used in the case were counterproductive for prosecutors.
“I believe in free speech, whether we agree or disagree,” Collins added. “The process from lyrics to trial is very short. [Young Thug] is an artist. He is expressing himself. I think we hit a slippery slope when we start analyzing lyrics and music. This is something I have to completely disagree with. I personally don’t think lyrics should be included in this format.
Yesterday, three other jurors also spoke out on the YouTube channel “I’m not a lawyer but…”, including Juror No. 508, Juror No. 225 and Juror No. 387.
“Honestly, I knew nothing about his music,” Juror No. 225 says in the interview below. “Honestly, the way they presented him in the trial… they wanted him to be seen in a negative light, but I saw someone stepping up and getting out of their situation and trying to help other people so it sparkled in my eyes shine a more positive light.
Juror No. 508 believed Young Thug was wanted by the state and that his other co-defendants were just pawns.
“I think the whole case is mob-related,” she said. “Little fish…collateral damage.”
The YSL trial, which began on November 27, 2023, concluded on Tuesday with the acquittal of the last two defendants, Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell. Yak Gotti was found not guilty on all counts, while Stillwell was found guilty of possession of a firearm and not guilty on all other counts. He was sentenced to serve time.
The sentence came after Young Thug pleaded guilty at an Oct. 31 trial and was essentially sentenced to prison time and 15 years of probation.
Read more: Here’s what young thugs did in their first two weeks after being released from prison
Below, hear from jurors in the YSL RICO trial about their experiences.
