YSL Case Wraps Up After Three Years: Last Defendant Takes 40-Year Deal

The final chapter closed in Atlanta's massive YSL trial when Christian Eppinger struck a deal on June 9, 2025. His decision wrapped up a sprawling case that started with Young Thug's arrest. Out of the original 28 people charged, 19 ended up convicted with a criminal mark on their records.

According to a Billboard report, Eppinger entered an Alford plea and will serve 40 years, which will run at the same time as his current 45-year sentence. This unusual move lets him keep saying he didn't do it while accepting blame for shooting at an officer and breaking racketeering laws.

Fulton County's District Attorney Fani Willis told Atlanta's 11 Alive, "My message to taxpayers is: it was an amazing outcome. We had 19 convictions, and the community is safer. And go look at the statistics. Crime is down. So, what do I say to taxpayers? I say my constituents — who just re-elected me with 68 percent of the vote — say I'm doing an amazing job. We are making sure that this community is safe."

The trial made waves when prosecutors used song lyrics to build their case. They claimed YSL wasn't just about music — it was a street gang called "Young Slime Life" causing trouble in Atlanta's streets.

Setbacks often hit the case hard. Finding a jury took nearly a year; a judge was removed for meeting in secret, and some witnesses backed out, prompting many to accept deals instead of facing trial.

Young Thug walked free last October with just probation, dodging the 25 years prosecutors demanded. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker told Young Thug to use his fame to show kids "there are ways out of poverty besides hooking up with the powerful guy at the end of the street selling drugs."

A jury cleared Deamonte Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell of most charges tied to Donovan Thomas's death in 2015. They walked out of court in December.

As things settled down, Damekion Garlington took a five-year deal for assault last month. Not one person went down for the Thomas killing, which prosecutors had built their whole case around.

"We made sure that we got the resolutions that we wanted. If they're unhappy with sentencing, they should elect other judges," DA Willis stated concerning the YSL and Young Thug case.