Young Thug, YSL RICO trial: Cross-examination of Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland continues

FULTON COUNTY, Georgia. – The defense team is currently questioning Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland in the Young Thug and YSL trial in Fulton County.

The state concluded its questioning on Monday after playing additional recordings of Copeland's conversations with police and recorded phone calls he made from custody.

Again, Copeland was not exactly cooperative, answering most questions with “I can't remember” or claiming he lied in 2015 to avoid trouble. He also admitted to lying to the mother of his child during recorded jailhouse interviews. In addition, he said in court that he was going through a dark “period” of his life and would have said or done anything to avoid trouble at the time, including incriminating Young Thug, because that's what the police wanted to hear.

When prosecutor Simone Hylton questioned Copeland about a Hertz rental car contract that included Young Thug's name, Copeland flew into a rage and said he told them during those interrogations that he lied to the police. He also told Hylton that she was getting on his nerves.

“I don't mean to offend you, but Ms. Hylton, you're really getting on my nerves,” Copeland said. “I keep telling you, leave me alone.”

Copeland also told the state he was “good at lying” when the state attempted to use the fact that Copeland had told the truth about Young Thug renting the car allegedly used in the murder of Donovan “Nut” Thomas to suggest that the rest of his interview was also true.

The state also brought up some social media posts allegedly made by Copeland, but he denied being the author, saying he would never be stupid enough to admit to such a crime and that someone else probably had access to his social media accounts.

MORE YSL SAMPLE STORIES

Copeland, who was supposed to be the state's key witness against Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) and his accomplices, was instead declared a hostile witness.

After the prosecution concluded its questioning, Williams' attorney Brian Steel began cross-examination. Kenneth Copeland again answered almost every question with “I can't remember.”

When Steel brought up that Copeland had said he gave Threat the car on the day of the murder, Copeland stated in court that he did not mean it, but only said it out of frustration.

Steel also addressed some of the obvious lies Copeland told during police interviews. For example, he told 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 question Copeland about the June 10 ex parte meeting that led to the recusal of the original trial judge, Ural Glanville.

During questioning, Steel asked Copeland what he was told if he admitted to murdering Thomas. Copeland replied that they would lock him up.

Steel continued to press Copeland to answer the question of what exactly prosecutor Simone Hylton had told him.

Copeland started to answer the question, but then said, “I can't remember. 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 break.”

After the recess, Steel informed Judge Whitaker that his cross-examination would take all day Tuesday, and Judge Whitaker decided that was a good time to call it a day.

However, there was an issue with one juror that needed to be resolved. It appears that one of the jurors is in trouble regarding her job and finances and is asking to be released. The state said it had no objection, but the defense said it wanted to reserve its opinion until the juror could provide more information on the situation.

One juror also wanted to know if Election Day would be a full day off because he wanted 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 allowed to leave at 2 p.m. two days a week to referee some games. Judge Whitaker denied that request. Another juror told the judge he might need time off to undergo professional development, and another juror said he had to undergo a medical procedure soon.

The hearing was finally adjourned to Tuesday, 9 a.m.

The trial against Young Thug/YSL is currently the longest in Georgia's history; the formation of a jury alone took ten months.

Young Thug and 27 others were indicted in 2022 for violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law and committing multiple violent crimes. After the longest jury selection in history (10 months), the trial of 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 crimes, including murder. Defendants claim 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 was plagued by various disruptions, including illness, the arrest of a juror and an attorney, the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, the removal of the judge originally assigned to the case, and more.