FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Jurors who spent nearly two years on the trial against YSL and hip-hop superstar Young Thug are describing what it was like putting their lives on hold for the longest criminal trial in Georgia’s history.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden spoke to three of the jurors, all of whom are working mothers, who said this was the first time they served on a jury.
“I think we are sisterly at this point,” one of them said.
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Jurors 387, 508 and 225 said they consider each other family after the lengthy trial.
The jury acquitted the two remaining defendants, rapper Yak Gotti, also known as Deamonte Kendrick, and Shannon Stillwell, of murder, gang and racketeering charges. Stillwell was convicted on a gun charge, but will serve his sentence as probation.
“I want the public to know that we did really take this very seriously. We considered all of the evidence that was provided to us. Everyone really took their civic duty to heart,” another juror told Seiden.
Jurors 387 and 508 heard all the testimony, but were made alternates before deliberation. Juror 387 said she didn’t just listen to the evidence; she was also paying attention to attorneys’ body language.
“I think it was distracting,” she said of the prosecutors’ body language. “There were a lot of different points and times where we realized that people had reactions to things and trying to keep it professional as humanly possible.”
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Juror 508 said she stayed off of social media and didn’t learn about all of the chaos until after the trial.
Juror 225 told Seiden that this was first jury trial.
“I do think the case as a whole was, it was presented very kind of disorganized. It was hard to follow for a lot of us jurors,” she explained.
They say that their hearts go out to the victim’s family, but the prosecution just didn’t provide enough evidence.
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