Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial: Cross examination of Kenneth 'Lil Woody' Copeland continues
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The below is a summary of what happened in court on Aug. 27 – the 119th day of the Young Thug and YSL trial in Fulton County.
The day began with Steel continuing to inquire about the ex parte meeting on June 10. Steel believes that Copeland only agreed to testify because he felt threatened by the state. After receiving little response from Copeland, Steel shifted focus to the interviews played by the state.
Steel questioned Copeland about Young Thug and his alleged involvement in the Donovan "Nut" Thomas murder in January 2015. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, reportedly rented the car that was used in the murder He also asked Copeland about being mentioned in Young Thug's song "Halftime." Copeland responded that there was no truth to the lyric, "lil whoodie done pull up and pop at his noggin."
Copeland was then questioned about the music video related to his song "Homicide" and posts on his social media pages.
Next, Steel played snippets of the interviews that the state had presented during their questioning of Copeland, asking him about what he told police a few hours after the murder of Donovan "Nut" Thomas.
During the questioning, Copeland mentioned that he had been told that Donovan Thomas and his friends were planning to harm him on the day Thomas was killed.
Steel then confronted Copeland with the fact that he was charged with Thomas' murder about four months after the 2015 interrogation. Copeland acknowledged that he had been informed of the charge. When asked if Young Thug was also charged, Copeland replied that he didn’t know.
At one point during the questioning, Copeland became emotional and spoke about being in the Rice Street or Fulton County Jail, describing it as foul-smelling and chaotic, with people smearing feces on the walls. He told the court that he was locked in a room and was on the verge of losing his mind. Copeland also had negative things to say about the DeKalb County Jail.
Additionally, Copeland complained about how his stomach has been cramping and his inability to eat because of the trial.
Steel proceeded to review Copeland's numerous charges, plea deals, and convictions over the years.
Shortly before 4 p.m., Judge Whitaker halted the questioning.
Steel informed Judge Whitaker that he would likely finish by 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Attorneys Doug Weinstein and Careton Matthews claimed they would only need about 20 to 30 minutes. However, Shannon Stillwell's attorney, Max Schardt, indicated that he might need a full day.
It appears that the next witness will be Antonio "Mounk Tounk" Sledge, who pled guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the racketeering act and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. At the time, Sledge agreed to testify at the trial for any remaining defendants. In return, the prosecutor recommended 15 years on probation and the gun charge was dropped. Sledge was reportedly a member of YSL since 2012, participated in one drive-by shooting, and supposedly knows of at least one YSL member who was involved in the murder of Thomas.
ORIGINAL STORY
The defense team is now questioning Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland in the Young Thug and YSL trial in Fulton County.
The state wrapped up its questioning on Monday after playing more recordings of Copeland talking to police and recorded phone calls he made while in jail.
Once again, Copeland was less than cooperative, answering most questions with "I don't recall" or claiming he lied in 2015 to avoid trouble. He also admitted to lying to the mother of his child during the recorded jail calls. Additionally, he told the courtroom that he was going through a dark "phase" of his life and would have said or done anything to get out of trouble at that time, including implicating Young Thug because that’s what the police wanted to hear.
When prosecutor Simone Hylton questioned Copeland about a car rental record from Hertz that includes Young Thug's name, Copeland went on a rant, saying that he had told them he lied to the police in those interviews. He also told Hylton that she was getting on his nerves.
"No disrespect to you, but Ms. Hylton, you are running my nerves through the roof," Copeland said. "I keep telling you, leave me alone."
Copeland also told the state that he was "good at lying" when they tried to use the fact that Copeland was truthful about Young Thug renting the car reportedly used in the murder of Donovan "Nut" Thomas to suggest the rest of his interview was truthful.
The state also brought up some social media posts reportedly made by Copeland, but he denied being the author, saying he would never be stupid enough to admit to a crime like that and that it was probably someone else who had access to his social media accounts.
Copeland, who was supposed to be the state's star witness against Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) and his associates, has instead been declared a hostile witness.
After the prosecution concluded its questioning, Williams' attorney, Brian Steel, began his cross-examination. Kenneth Copeland once again reverted to answering almost every question with "I don't recall."
When Steel brought up that Copeland said he gave the car to Threat on the day of the murder, Copeland told the courtroom that he didn’t mean to say that and that he said it out of frustration.
Steel also reviewed some of the obvious lies Copeland told during the police interviews, including telling the police that Young Thug switched cars at a gas station and got into a car with Lil Dee and a girl. Video footage from the gas station proves that never happened.
Steel also attempted to ask Copeland about the ex parte meeting on June 10, which led to the recusal of the original trial judge, Judge Ural Glanville.
During the questioning, Steel asked Copeland what he was told would happen if he admitted to killing Thomas. Copeland replied that they would lock him up.
Steel continued to press Copeland to answer the question about exactly what he was told by prosecutor Simone Hylton.
Copeland started to answer the question but then said, "I don't recall. I don't know what's going on." He then asked if he could ask the judge a question, and Judge Whitaker said, "Let's take a recess."
After the break, Steel told Judge Whitaker that his cross-examination would take all of Tuesday, and Judge Whitaker decided it was a good time to end for the day.
However, there was an issue with a juror that needed to be addressed. It appears that one of the jurors is experiencing a hardship related to her job and finances and is asking to be released. The state said it didn’t oppose, but the defense said they would like to reserve their opinion until the juror could provide more information about the situation.
A juror also wanted to know if Election Day would be a full day off because the juror wants to work at a polling place. Judge Whitaker told the juror that Election Day would only be a half-day. Another juror apparently asked to be able to leave at 2 p.m. two days a week to referee some games. Judge Whitaker denied that request. Another juror told the judge they might need time off for work training, and another juror said they needed a medical procedure soon.
Court was eventually adjourned until 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The Young Thug/YSL trial is currently the longest in Georgia history, taking 10 months just to find a jury.
Young Thug and 27 others were indicted in 2022 for violating Georgia's RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) law and committing multiple violent crimes. Following the longest jury selection in history (10 months), the trial for Young Thug and several co-defendants began 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 eight 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.