Atlanta’s trial of the 21st century ends; last YSL defendant takes a plea

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The last defendant in Georgia’s longest criminal trial in history - as well as one of the nation’s longest - received a lengthy prison sentence Monday morning after accepting a plea only minutes before his jury selection was set to begin.

Christian Eppinger - aka Big Bhris and YSL Bhris - was accused of shooting an Atlanta police officer, David Rogers, on Feb. 7, 2022 at the Colonial Square Apartments on Old Hapeville Road. Eppinger was also facing multiple charges related to the YSL trial, whose central figure - superstar rapper Young Thug - accepted a plea deal last fall.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Eppinger to:

• 20 years for conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO Act
• 20 years for armed robbery
• 20 years on two counts of possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer
• Five years for theft by taking
• 30 years for attempted murder in connection to Rogers’ shooting
• 20 years for the attempted murder in connection to another Atlanta police officer
• Five years on one count of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony
• 20 years for participation in street gang activity
• 10 years on one count to commit a crime
• 10 years for criminal street gang activity

Eppinger’s attorney, Eric Johnson, said Whitaker was fair in sentencing.

Before sentencing, Whitaker heard from Atlanta Police Sgt. Will Johnson, who was working undercover in the city’s gang unit when Rogers was shot. Johnson urged Whitaker to impose the maximum sentence on Eppinger.

In late May, another defendant, Damekion Garlington, aka Sxarfaxe, received a 20-year sentence, with five to serve in prison and the following 15 years on probation. Garlington was originally charged with murder and attempted murder but both charges were reduced to aggravated assault as part of a plea agreement.

In 2022, Eppinger, Garlington and 26 others - including internationally acclaimed rapper Young Thug - were arrested and indicted on charges they participated in a violent criminal street gang dubbed YSL.

Full coverage | The historic YSL trial

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors charged the defendants with a slew of alleged crimes, ranging from murder to participation in street gang activity and violation of Georgia’s racketeering act.

Defense attorneys maintained the crew was part of a legitimate non-criminal record label known as Young Stoner Life, while prosecutors said it was a violent criminal street gang.

But the star at the center at what become Atlanta’s trial of the 21st century was undoubtedly rapper Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams. On Halloween 2024, he pleaded guilty to several charges and no contest to multiple others.

Williams was sentenced to 40 years, with five years to serve in jail. His sentence was commuted to the time he’d already served behind bars. He was also sentenced to 15 years of probation. If he completes it successfully, it will also be commuted to time served.

Before a jury in the mammoth criminal proceeding had even been chosen, Eppinger was involved in a couple of bizarre circumstances.

On Feb. 2, 2023, police said he stabbed another inmate, Demarcus Bussey, with a “handmade weapon,” or a shank. Bussey was stabbed in his upper left chest and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. The incident happened at the Fulton County jail, where the defendants were being held.

Then, in June, a laptop belonging to an attorney representing Eppinger was seized because prosecutors believed Eppinger used the communicate to communicate with Akeiba Koren Stanley, a Fulton deputy who was arrested on charges she had an “inappropriate relationship” with Eppinger.

Stanley was charged with hindering apprehension or punishment of a criminal, violation of oath by public officer, conspiracy to commit a felony and reckless conduct.

Now that the historically long trial is over, some are not happy with the outcome.

The mother of Donovan Thomas, whose 2015 shooting death was a focus in the trial, said she is very disappointed with the judge’s decisions on sentencing, but is glad this is over.

When asked his thoughts on the trial, Johnson called it a waste of time and a misappropriation of resources. He said the matter could have and should have been prosecuted differently.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Willis said her office’s “commitment to the community is to focus prosecutorial resources on the most dangerous offenders while creating innovative programs to save others from a life damaged by a criminal record.”

“The anti-gang initiative is a critical part of the effort, with over 400 convictions of gang members during her term as district attorney, including 19 defendants in the YSL RICO trial,” the spokesperson said. “Those efforts have been a key part of making Fulton County safer, taking dangerous offenders off our streets and sending a message that gang activity will not be tolerated in our community.

“The district attorney’s anti-gang initiative is ongoing and will remain a key part of making Fulton County a safer, more just place for everyone.”

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