Young Thug YSL Rico trial: Copeland returning after lawyer's suspension

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - There was another brief delay in the Young Thug and YSL trial in Fulton County on Tuesday.

Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland was back on the stand Tuesday morning, repeatedly responding with the now familiar refrain, "I don't recall," even when asked about answers he had given at the end of the day on Monday.

Young Thug and Kenneth Copeland

After the court returned from a lunch break, Copeland informed Judge Paige Reese Whitaker—who was recently assigned to the case following the recusal of Judge Ural Glanville—that he had just learned his lawyer, Jonathan Melnick, had been suspended.

Melnick was suspended for six months by the Supreme Court of Georgia on Tuesday due to actions related to a 2017 child custody case in Rockdale County. Reportedly, this was not the first time Melnick had been disciplined, and the Supreme Court felt he showed a lack of remorse for his actions and attempted to blame his client instead.

After another break on Tuesday, Judge Whitaker informed Copeland that they had found an attorney named Charles Engelberger who was willing to represent him, but he would not be available until Wednesday morning.

As a result, both Copeland and the jury were dismissed for the day.

Also on Tuesday, the state's prosecutors from the Fulton County District Attorney's Office indicated they planned to wrap up their questioning of Copeland by Friday, which will only be a half-day session.

On Monday, when Copeland wasn’t telling the court that he couldn’t remember events or statements made during police interviews in 2015, he insisted that he had lied about everything to avoid jail time that year. However, at the end of the day, Copeland appeared to implicate one of his friends known as "Threat" in the murder of Donovan "Nut" Thomas by stating that "Threat" was the last person to whom Copeland had given the car reportedly used in the crime.

During Tuesday's testimony, Copeland continued to avoid answering questions and appeared visibly annoyed with prosecutors.

Additionally, on Monday, Copeland was seen interacting with Judge Glanville’s courtroom reporter. Many observers on social media speculated that the court reporter had a soft spot for Woody, as she was observed speaking with him on a couple of occasions, reminding him to stand up when the jury entered the room. The color of her shoes was also mentioned during his testimony. Copeland captioned a photo on Instagram with "She care!"

Initially, Copeland refused to testify for the state. On June 7, he informed the court that he was invoking the Fifth Amendment and was subsequently jailed over the weekend. On June 10, he returned to court after an ex parte meeting with Judge Ural Glanville, the state prosecutors, and others. This meeting eventually led to the removal of Judge Glanville from the case. Defense attorneys have also sought to remove the prosecution team, but their efforts have been unsuccessful so far.

Young Thug and 27 others were indicted in 2022 for violating Georgia's RICO or racketeering law and committing multiple violent crimes. Following the longest jury selection in history (10 months), a trial for Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) and several co-defendants got underway in November 2023. It is now the longest trial in Georgia history. Prosecutors are attempting to prove that YSL (Young Slime Life) is a criminal street gang responsible for numerous offenses, including murder. The defendants maintain that YSL stands for Young Stoner Life and is the name of a record label founded by Young Thug. Young Thug is facing 8 criminal charges. The trial has been plagued by various disruptions, including illnesses, the arrests of a juror and a lawyer, the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, the removal of the judge originally assigned to the case, and more.