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Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial: June 10 ex parte meeting being discussed in court

By and FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  August 5, 2024 12:14pm EDT
YSL Trial
FOX 5 Atlanta

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The jury may return this week for the Young Thug and YSL RICO trial in Fulton County.

Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker said the jury could return on Wednesday. However, she also indicated that she is also still considering whether to declare a mistrial after it was revealed there was another secret meeting between the trial's original judge and the state's prosecutors.

Judge Whitaker also denied a request last week to remove the state prosecutors from the case. Attorneys for Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, argued that the prosecutors are now witnesses in the trial because of their participation in the secret meeting.

The last couple of days last week were spent going over testimony given by Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland and deciding what could be presented to the jury.

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Judge Whitaker also instructed the attorneys on both sides to work together on witness lists and evidence in an effort to move the trial along at a faster pace than before.

What happened in court on Monday

5:15 P.M. UPDATE: Judge Whitaker says it might be best to redo the entirety of Kenneth Copeland's testimony, instead of just from June 12, unless the attorneys can agree on the stuff that needs to be excluded. She wants the attorneys to talk Monday night and agree to what parts of Copeland's testimony needs to be retracted or if his entire testimony needs to be tossed out. 

Judge Whitaker also said she is still considering and working through the motions for a mistrial. Judge Whitaker tells the attorneys they need to think about all the potential ways of moving forward, including plea deals. 

4:20 P.M. UPDATE Fulton County prosecutor Adam Abbate took the stand after the break. Prosecutor Love begins questioning Abbate and he testifies that that Melnick specifically told him that he did not represent Copeland in the YSL case. 

Fulton County Senior District Attorney Peter Hertzog then took the stand and said that he was never asked to reach out to Melnick on behalf of Hylton or Love. He also testified that he never talked to Melnick about the YSL case even though he attempted to get in contact with him. 

3:30 P.M. UPDATE: Judge Whitaker says she wants to hear from Chief Deputy DA Adam Abbate about Melnick's representation of Kenneth Copeland.

Attorney Brian Steel asks Judge Whitaker to again consider his request to disqualify prosecutors Love and Hylton (she denied a motion last week).

Steel says there have been no sanctions against prosecutors for their actions since the trial began and it is not fair to the defense lawyers or their clients to be on the receiving end of their actions.

Judge Whitaker assures Steel that "this court takes Brady violations very seriously" and she is aware that she has the authority to remove the Fulton County District Attorney's Office prosecutors from the case.

A brief recess was then called so that the state can bring in their witness to testify about Melnick's representation. 

What is a Brady violation?

A Brady violation occurs when the prosecution in a criminal case fails to disclose evidence to the defense that is favorable to the accused and material to guilt or punishment. This can include evidence that might exonerate the defendant or reduce their potential sentence. The term comes from the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, which established that withholding such evidence violates the defendant's right to a fair trial.

3:15 P.M. UPDATE: Investigator Long is done testifying. Attorney Schardt is now speaking. He filed a motion on Friday, arguing there was no valid reason for the ex parte meetings and the meetings were not proper.

2:50 P.M. UPDATE: Attorney Brian Steel asks Investigator Long when he became aware of the ex parte meeting. Long replied just that morning. Steel also asks if Long attended any other meetings similar to the one on June 10. Long replied he did not. Steel also asked if Long was told not to tell anyone about the ex parte meeting and Long replied no. 

2:40 P.M.UPDATE: After lunch, prosecutor Love began by arguing that there was no Brady violation. She then calls Investigator Long to the stand to testify to that effect. According to Long, the off-the-record conversation was very short.

Long went with prosecutor Hylton to the judge's chambers and allegedly stayed with Hylton throughout the meeting. He also testified that Hylton was never alone with Copeland. Additionally, Long says that Copeland never said anything about the vehicle that was used in the Donovan Thomas murder. 
 

11:45 A.M. UPDATE: Attorney Matthews wants to ask attorney Bumpus if Judge Glanville told her to keep the meeting secret, but Judge Whitaker doesn't want to get into the issue of holding Steel in contempt.

11:35 A.M. UPDATE: Attorney Kayla Bumpus confirms there are some of the aspects from the Steel/Weinstein affidavits that were missing from the transcript.

Bumpus also confirms that a deputy directed the other deputies to turn off their cameras at some point on June 10.

11:25 A.M. UPDATE: Attorney Kayla Bumpus has been sworn in. She then confirms that there was a meeting outside of Judge Glanville's presence between herself, Copeland and DA Hylton. She says there were also 4 deputies and an investigator there. However, she does not remember if the court reporter was there. Bumpus says there was stuff that was said that was not included in the official transcript. 

10:45 A.M. UPDATE: Attorney Doug Weinstein tells Judge Whitaker that attorney Kayla Bumpus told him about conversations about the murder of Donovan Thomas that happened between Copeland, Bumpus and Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton that were off the record. Judge Whitaker responds that she wants to hear from Bumpus.

10:15 A.M. UPDATE: Love reads the email that Melnick sent her about Copeland, saying he would have demanded much more specific immunity for Copeland in exchange for his testimony. He also accused the prosecution of putting Copeland in a terrible position where they know his life would be in danger. Melnick also told the prosecutors to f&*^# themselves if they thought he was doing anything besides protecting his client. 

10 A.M. UPDATE: Attorney Melnick, who represented Copeland, says the District Attorney's Office definitely knew he represented Copeland and he made it clear to Love that he was representing Lil Woody.

9:45 A.M. UPDATE: DA Love is questioning Melnick, who decided to take the witness stand instead of standing beside Love in the courtroom. 

9:30 A.M. UPDATE: The ex parte meeting on June 10 with Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland is being discussed. Melnick is being questioned by Attorney Max Schardt, who represents Shannon Stillwell.

9:15 A.M. UPDATE: Attorney Melnick says he spoke to Copeland on June 6, who allegedly said that he attended to plead the Fifth. Melnick said ii was "ironic" that he was offered immunity the next day. 

9 A.M. UPDATE: Attorney Melnick, who represented Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland is in court. He says that he received 2 transcripts that contain allegations that he was working with attorney Brian Steel and attorney Max Schardt and that the allegations are untrue. Judge Whitaker says he will be permitted to make a brief proffer about what he thinks happened on June 6 and 7.  

What is a proffer?

A proffer is an offer of proof by a lawyer or party to the court, outlining what evidence or testimony they would present if allowed. This is often done outside the presence of the jury to show the relevance or admissibility of the evidence. Proffers are used to persuade the judge to admit the evidence or to preserve the issue for appeal if the evidence is excluded.

Young Thug and his co-defendants were indicted in 2022. Following the longest jury selection in history (10 months), the trial got underway in November 2023. It is the longest trial in Georgia history. The trial has been plagued by various disruptions, including illnesses, the arrests of a juror and lawyer, the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, the removal of the judge originally assigned to the case, and various other disruptions.