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Young Thug, YSL Trial: Here's what happened on Friday, Aug. 16

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Updated  August 16, 2024 7:25pm EDT
YSL Trial
FOX 5 Atlanta

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Before the jury was brought in on Friday morning, Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, requested permission to question Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland about the June 10 secret meeting between former presiding Judge Ural Glanville, prosecutors, and Copeland.

"I'm not here to hurt Judge Glanville. In fact, I like Judge Glanville, but I don't know what happened in this case, though I liked him before this case," Steel said.

Steel also mentioned that he believes Copeland (if he chooses to say something other than 'I don't recall') will state that he thought the judge and the state of Georgia were one and the same.

Steel further noted that it had come to his attention that Copeland was not given food while he was held in jail between June 7 and June 10.

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker told Steel that she does not believe this is relevant to the issues the jury needs to determine regarding whether Copeland's testimony between June 10 and June 12 was influenced by the ex parte meeting on the 10th. She also pointed out that she had given the attorneys the option to toss out all of Copeland's previous testimony, but they chose to keep it up until 3 p.m. on June 12.

Shannon Stillwell's attorney, Max Schardt, also spoke up, stating that the jury needs to know that the prosecutors want Young Thug and Stillwell so badly that they gave Copeland free rein to go around Atlanta and do as he pleased.

Judge Whitaker responded that the trial is not about how the state and Judge Glanville handled Copeland; it is about whether the defendants committed the crimes they are charged with.

Judge Whitaker informed the attorneys that the defense could question Copeland about the immunity agreement and that they could submit a list of questions they believe they should be allowed to ask Copeland, which she would review.

Technical issues result in Copeland, jury going home early

Also on Friday, the state played more video for the jury. However, they were unable to finish playing all of the video due to repeated technical issues. Judge Whitaker eventually dismissed the jury and Copeland for the day because of these issues.

At one point, Copeland asked if he had to listen to the interviews, and Judge Whitaker told him that he didn't have to. However, attorney Max Schardt said they planned to ask Copeland specific questions about the interviews being played in court.

After Copeland and the jury were dismissed, Judge Whitaker said she wanted to go through some of the statements related to wiretaps and jail calls that the prosecution wants to introduce.

Defense attorney Westmoreland pointed out that the state had not provided a list of statements, even though they were ordered to do so by Judge Glanville.

Judge Whitaker then criticized the prosecution once again for not having their case organized.

Additionally, there was some debate about RICO and overt acts, specifically whether overt acts that occurred more than five years before the indictment date could be used to prove racketeering. The state argued that defendants only need to be found guilty of one overt act within the five years to be found guilty of RICO. They also argued that the acts do not have to be part of the indictment and can include acts that happened after the indictment. Judge Whitaker told the prosecution that she wants to see case law supporting the state's position because she is interested in seeing how defendants can be convicted of something they weren't indicted for.

Before court adjourned for the day, there was some discussion about the plea deal made by Antonio Sledge, also known as Mounk Tounk. As part of the deal, Sledge made a series of factual acknowledgments, including that he personally knew one or more YSL associates had killed Donovan "Nut" Thomas.

Attorney Max Schardt objected to Sledge "personally" knowing that.

Court will resume for attorneys and defendants only on Monday. The jury is off next week. According to the schedule given earlier in the week by Judge Whitaker, Monday and Tuesday will be half-days, with court starting at noon.

Courtney Kramer calls out Fani Willis 

In related news, Courtney Kramer, who is challenging Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the November election, issued a press release calling for the YSL case to be dismissed immediately.

Kramer stated in her press release that she has become "highly concerned and disappointed in the lack of prosecutorial oversight" in the case.

She also mentioned that she has lost faith in justice being served in Fulton County or that the people of Fulton County are being advocated for in an ethical and transparent manner.

Kramer said in the press release that if she is elected the next district attorney, she will put an end to the prosecution of the YSL defendants immediately and is calling for Willis to do the same now.

Kramer believes that Willis brought the case against Young Thug and the other defendants to gain fame for herself.

ORIGINAL STORY

Prosecutors in the Young Thug and YSL racketeering trial in Fulton County plan to conclude their questioning of their star witness, Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland, on Friday, according to statements made earlier this week.

Copeland returned to the stand on Monday following a long delay due to the removal of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville. The judge was removed because of an ex parte meeting on June 10 involving Copeland, the state's prosecutors, and the judge.

A new judge, Paige Reese Whitaker, is now handling the case. She, along with the attorneys for both the state and the defense, determined that much of Copeland's previous testimony would be discarded, as it occurred after the motion for Glanville's recusal had been filed.

When asked if he would be willing to testify again in the case, Copeland responded, "It depends on how I wake up."

MOST RECENT STORIES

After finally agreeing to retake the stand, Copeland has been less than cooperative. Most of his answers have been variations of "I don't recall" or admissions that he was lying. Earlier this week, Copeland even released a single titled "I Don't Recall," glorifying the phrase he has used repeatedly over the last four days.

Over the past two days, the state has opted to play many hours of Copeland's 2015 interview with police, during which they pressed him for information on a series of crimes they believed were linked to a gang and its alleged mastermind, Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams).

On Thursday, it became evident that Copeland is growing weary of his role in the trial. He could be seen yawning and even dozing off while the videos were played. When he did speak, he continued to claim that he couldn't remember or that he had lied.

The jury will not be in court next week, but the lawyers, defendants, and judge will be present. However, court will not start until noon on Monday and Tuesday.

Additionally, the jury has been excused for Aug. 29-30, Sept. 2, Nov. 11, Nov. 27-29 (Thanksgiving), and Dec. 23-Jan. 1 (holiday break).

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.