YSL affiliate Jayden Myrick has become the first person to be convicted following the sweeping RICO indictment that landed Young Thug and Gunna behind bars.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Myrick was found guilty of robbery and murder in connection to a July 2018 case. Prosecutors argued that he and co-defendant Torrus Fleetwood approached four people outside of a wedding venue in the posh Atlanta neighborhood of Brookhaven as they waited for a ride.
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Jayden Myrick is said to have led the charge, demanding the group’s belongings, walking away with cell phones, wallets and other valuables. One of the victims, Christian Broder followed the assailants after the robbery, in hopes of getting Myrick to return his driver’s license.
That’s when authorities say Myrick shot Broder, at which point Fleetwood drove the duo away. Christian Broder suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach and died a week later.
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Known by the aliases “JayMan” and “Set Trip,” Jayden Myrick was already in prison on the charges connected to this incident when he was named as one of the 28 defendants in the YSL indictment in May. During the trial, he testified that he was first recruited into a gang at the age of nine.
He was 17 at the time of his original arrest. On Thursday (October 27), he was found guilty of “16 counts including violation of street gang terrorism and prevention, malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer.
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Myrick has been sentenced to life without parole. The sentence also includes three consecutive life sentences to follow the first, to be followed by another five consecutive years.
“I’m praying for Mr. Broder’s family and friends as they grieve the loss of a beloved husband, father, and brother,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. “It is unconscionable that a 34-year-old man who had his whole life ahead of him was murdered in such a senseless act of violence.
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“As the defendant’s testimony illustrated, when young people are recruited into gangs, the violent crimes they commit inflict tragedy on their victims and on themselves when they end up in prison.”
Both Young Thug and Gunna have remained behind bars since May, despite multiple attempts by their legal team to have the rappers released on bond.
Earlier this month, Willis filed a 10-page motion asking for a two-month delay in the trial. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the DA made the request due to more than a quarter of those indicted not yet having legal representation.
The trial is due to begin on January 9, 2023, but Willis would like it postponed until March 27 to allow all defendants to get a lawyer.
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“A continuance to the final week in March would protect the speedy trial rights of those who have asserted those rights, while also ensuring that the additional eight defendants have properly prepared appointed counsel,” Willis said in her motion.
Elsewhere in the 10-page document, the DA requested the defendants all be tried together since they allegedly took part in the same conspiracy, and similar evidence is expected to be presented in each trial.
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Prosecutors said they were “concerned about the inconvenience and ‘trauma’ of repeated testimony of witnesses who were the victims of violent gang crimes.” A decision on whether to push the trial back is expected later this month.
Lawyers for Young Thug and Gunna have denied the charges levied against their clients.
