Two More YSL Defendants Take Plea Deals

The group of defendants in the long-running YSL trial is quickly dwindling. Two more defendants, Marquavius Huey and Rodalius Ryan, a.k.a. Lil Rod, both took plea deals on October 30. After Quamarvious Nichols’s plea deal the day before, that leaves just three defendants: Young Thug, Yak Gotti, and Shannon Stilwell. Below, the latest on the plea deals for Huey, Ryan, and Nichols and what led to them, along with the status of the remaining defendants.

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.” 

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 remaining defendants

It remains unclear if additional defendants could be taking plea deals in the coming days. Attorneys for Young Thug (born Jeffery Williams) have not responded to requests for comment as rumors have abounded of him negotiating a plea deal. Meanwhile, an attorney for Yak Gotti (born Deamonte Kendrick), Doug Weinstein, affirmed on October 29 that Yak Gotti had not accepted a plea deal. “Mr. Kendrick is innocent of all charges wrongfully leveled against him,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “While offers were extended to Mr. Kendrick, it is not Mr. Kendrick’s responsibility to accept any offer so that the DA can save face.” Weinstein went on to call the case against Yak Gotti “completely circumstantial,” adding that he is “fully engaged in this fight to save Mr. Kendrick’s life.”

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.