Kenneth 'Lil Woody' Copeland testifies for hours in Young Thug, YSL RICO trial

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The following is a breakdown of what happened in court on Monday after Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland returned to the stand in the Young Thug and YSL trial in Fulton County. 

RELATED: Experts analyze Kenneth ‘Lil Woody’ Copeland testimony in Young Thug, YSL RICO trial

6 P.M. UPDATE: Kenneth Copeland has spent several hours on the stand testifying. He has implicated several people in Donovan "Nut" Thomas' murder, including someone who is known as "Threat."

Copeland admitted that he helped Threat shoot up a barbershop and that he was trying to protect Threat when when he met with detectives about the night of the murder. Copeland said that he didn't know if Threat had something to do with it, but Threat was the last person that he gave the Inifinit car to that he had.

4 P.M. UPDATE: Kenneth Copeland is still on the stand and is still being questioned by DDA Simone Hylton.

Hylton has asked him several questions about events that happened in 2015. In addition to questioning him about Richie Homie Quan, she also asked him about Travante Turner, who was reportedly shot and killed in late June inside a residence on Peyton Place SW. 

Hylton also asked Copeland again if he killed Donovan Thomas.

Copeland replied, "How many times you asked me that?"

Court is taking a brief break. 

3 P.M. UPDATE: Kenneth Copeland is being questioned about Richie Homie Quan. 

2 P.M. UPDATE: Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton is questioning Kenneth Copeland about a trip to Miami that reportedly took place after the Donovan "Nut" Thomas murder. Several members of YSL reportedly went to Miami after the murder. 

Copeland is still replying "I don't recall" to most questions and says he doesn't recall being in Miami or remember telling detectives that Young Thug started treating him differently in Miami. 

1:50 P.M. UPDATE: The judge, attorneys, defendants, jury and Kenneth Copeland have returned from lunch. Copeland continues to answer the majority of questions with "I don't recall." Occasionally, he will reiterate that he was lying about almost everything in 2015 in order to stay out of jail. 

12:15 P.M. UPDATE: The state's prosecutor asks Kenneth Copeland if he killed Donovan "Nut" Thomas. The state had told Copeland previously that if he says yes to this question, they will put him in jail.

Copeland's no answer is not very convincing. When asked if he went to talk to Det. Thorpe about where he was on Jan. 10, 2015, and to tell him that he did not kill Nut, Copeland appeared to be confused.  

Court is taking a break until 1:30 p.m. for lunch and to give Copeland the opportunity to talk to his attorney. 

11:45 A.M. UPDATE: Kenneth Copeland testifies that Detective Thorpe has the brain the size of a squirrel and he could tell him anything and he would go for it. 

Copeland also says that he is not trying to help Young Thug out now. He says he doesn't "care nothing about him." He supposedly cares about the truth. Copeland also said that police told him in 2015 that they wanted a big fish and he was a little fish and his motive at the time was to convince them he was telling the truth. 

Copeland also admits that he doesn't want to say something that would result in him being locked up. 

Additionally, the jury was sent out briefly after the defense made a motion for mistrial. During questioning, prosecutor Hylton told Copeland that police had verified the information he gave them. Attorney Brian Steel protested, saying such a statement by the prosecution was improper. Judge Whitaker denied the motion for mistrial but admonished the state, telling Hylton that she needed to be careful with her words. 

After the jury came back, Judge Whitaker told them to ignore the statement by the prosecutor and to keep in mind that what the attorneys for the state say is not evidence. 

11 A.M. UPDATE: Kenneth ‘Lil Woody’ Copeland is back on the stand. Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton is questioning Copeland. Most of his answers are "I don't recall."

Copeland says that he doesn't remember anything from 2015. 

"I don't recall nothing that happened years ago," Copeland said. He is making it clear that he doesn't intend to answer most of the questions. However, he does admit that he met with the police multiple times, but he says he was lying whenever he spoke to them at that time.

10:05 A.M. UPDATE: The jury has returned and Judge Whitaker read the instructions that were agreed upon. She tells them "not to concern yourself" about why Judge Ural Glanville is no longer on the case. When asked to stand up if any of them had an issue disregarding the majority of Copeland's testimony, no one stood up.

The jury was told they must disregard any testimony by Copeland and evidence presented after 3 p.m. June 12. That includes Copeland's answers about involvement with the Atlanta Blood Gang. 

The jury left the room and is now going through their notes to find any notes taken about Copeland and turn over the portions related to the testimony they have been told to disregard. 

9:50 A.M. UPDATE: Kenneth ‘Lil Woody’ Copeland has reluctantly agreed to testify after asking Judge Whitaker several questions and complaining about being bothered.

Attorney Doug Weinstein renews his call for a mistrial based on Copeland being "coerced" by Judge Glanville. Judge Whitaker says she does not agree and his motion for mistrial is denied.

9:30 A.M. UPDATE: Court started early Monday morning. Judge Whitaker and the attorneys have been hammering out the instructions that will be given to the jury this morning. 

One of the things they discussed is whether they should ask the jury if they have seen or read anything about the case on social media or the media or if they have talked to friends and family about it. Attorney Griggs voiced his opinion that they should.

Attorney Doug Weinstein also asked the judge if she had seen his request for a Certificate of Review. She replied that she did and that she had denied it. Steel asked Judge Whitaker to please reconsider.

Also, attorney John Floyd is in court this morning. Floyd is a RICO expert. His presence has not been explained. However, Floyd was in court in November 2023 and argued the usage of lyrics as evidence in the trial at that time. 

ORIGINAL STORY

The jury in the trial of Atlanta rapper Young Thug and his YSL co-defendants will be back in court on Monday after an eight-week hiatus.

When the men and women of the jury return to the Fulton County Courthouse, they'll be greeted by Judge Paige Reese Whitaker for the first time. 

Whitaker is the third judge now to preside over the long-running case after Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed and Judge Shukura Ingram recused herself.

Glanville had presided over the case for more than a year before defense attorneys asked a judge for his recusal over a meeting with the prosecutors and witness Kenneth Copeland at which defendants and defense attorneys were not present. The defense attorneys argued the meeting was "improper" and that the judge and prosecutors had tried to pressure the witness to testify.

While not faulting Glanville for holding the meeting and saying she has "no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter," Judge Rachel Krause granted the motion, writing that "the ‘necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system’ weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville" from the case.

The case was then given to Ingram, who filed an Order of Recusal shortly after over a romantic relationship between one of her former courthouse deputies and a co-defendant, Christian Eppinger. Because of this relationship, Ingram wrote that she was concerned it would create an "appearance of impropriety."

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Since Whitaker took over the case, the judge, state prosecutors, and defense attorneys have spent much of their time arguing over how the trial should proceed. Additionally, Young Thug's attorney Brian Steel and other defense attorneys have continued efforts to have the prosecutors — Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love and Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton—also removed.

The most recent instance occurred when attorney Brian Steel, who represents Young Thug, stumbled across a cell phone number during late discovery earlier this week. Initially, the prosecution said they had left it out "inadvertently," but later stated that they omitted it because the person associated with the cell phone number had not yet been arrested. They eventually proved that the number had been included in a previous discovery.

While Whitaker denied the mistrial motion, she ordered the entire prosecution team working on the case to undergo training on the Brady rule, which is the law requiring prosecutors to disclose material and exculpatory evidence in the government's possession.

Last week, the state's star witness, Kenneth "Lil Woody," also made a brief appearance in court. Whitaker wanted to ensure that he had representation and that he understood the consequences if he did not testify. When asked if he would testify on Monday, Copeland replied that it depends on how he wakes up.

On Monday, Whitaker says she will introduce herself to the jury and explain the reason for the change in judges before they hear more testimony.

What charges is Young Thug facing? 

Young Thug, a Grammy winner whose given name is Jeffery Williams, was arrested two years ago in a sprawling indictment accusing him and more than two dozen others of conspiring to violate Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. He is also charged with gang, drug and gun crimes.

Following the longest jury selection in history (10 months), the trial of the Atlanta rapper and five 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. 

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.