Young Thug’s lawyer questions key witness Kenneth “Woody” Copeland

Young Thug's defense attorney used his long-awaited cross-examination of key prosecution witness Kenneth “Woody” Copeland on Tuesday to portray Copeland as a career criminal who may have been the actual man responsible for the 2015 murder that is at the center of Young Thug's gang and organized crime prosecution in Georgia.

During a full day of tense questioning, attorney Brian Steel questioned Copeland about his previous convictions, his public boasts of being a “gangster” and the claim that Copeland was involved in a heated argument with Donovan “Nut” Thomas Jr. over items Copeland allegedly stole from Thomas' car shortly before Thomas was gunned down in a drive-by shooting outside an Atlanta barbershop on Jan. 10, 2015. Steel got Copeland to confirm that he had heard Thomas say he wanted him to “physically” harm him in retaliation. The exchange could prove significant if it creates enough reasonable doubt in the jury's mind about who killed Thomas.

Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, is not specifically charged with Thomas' murder in the sprawling 65-count indictment that sent the Grammy-winning rapper to prison over two years ago. But prosecutors allege Williams is the head of a Bloods-affiliated gang called Young Slime Life that murdered Thomas to consolidate its power. Two weeks ago, prosecutors played jurors a June 2015 police interview in which Copeland claimed Williams met with a group of suspected YSL members at a Texaco gas station to swap cars and give them his rented Infinity for the drive-by shooting. Williams, who has no criminal record, has pleaded not guilty to being the boss of a violent gang and vehemently denies having anything to do with Thomas' murder. Copeland, meanwhile, has denied everything incriminating Williams in his police interviews. During direct questioning by prosecutors, he repeatedly said he made up the story about Williams' alleged connection to Thomas' murder because he was arrested on gun charges during questioning and was trying to offer a “big fish” a deal to avoid going back to prison.

Before confronting Copeland with questions about his own alleged dispute with Thomas, Williams' defense attorney asked if Copeland knew that Williams and Thomas were friends and had filmed a music video together for a song called “In My Blood” on Dec. 4, 2014 – just a month before Thomas' murder. Copeland said he did not know.

Steel also asked Copeland if he was telling one of his self-proclaimed lies when he told police that Williams was angry with a man named Kelvin “Shell Kell” Watts, one of Thomas' closest confidants, shortly before Thomas's murder. Copeland told Steel he made up the story he told police in his June 2015 interrogation that he met Thomas outside a gambling house shortly before he arranged a Facetime call in which Williams allegedly told Watts he “wouldn't let up” until Watts paid for a truck windshield smashed in an alleged shooting.

“I never spoke to Nut outside of the casino,” Copeland testified Tuesday. “I never spoke to him.”

Steel eventually became more aggressive, accusing Copeland of breaking into Thomas' Tahoe and stealing his cellphone, ID, chain and wallet. “What happened was Mr. Donovan Thomas called his own cellphone and you answered the call and agreed to return his property, is that OK?” Steel asked. Copeland responded, “Something like that.” Copeland gave the same answer when asked if Thomas showed up with “other people in other cars” to pick up his property. Copeland said the group was armed.

“And shortly thereafter, you learned that Donovan Thomas and others wanted to harm you, is that correct?” Steel asked before the judge decided he needed to rephrase the question. “Did you ever listen when Donovan Thomas met with others and talked about you?” Steel asked.

“Yes, that’s what I was told,” Copeland replied.

“On the day of his murder, did you believe that Donovan Thomas and his other friends had a plan to physically hurt you?” Steel asked.

“That’s what I was told,” Copeland replied.

At other points during cross-examination, Steel stood over Copeland and walked him through a stack of court records related to his charges and convictions for crimes including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threats, theft and illegal possession of a firearm. Steel also confronted Copeland with a 2020 video interview with From the veranda in which Copeland said: “I don't want to be labelled as just a gangster.”

In his opening statement in the case last November, Steel told jurors that Copeland was a violent criminal who may have killed Thomas and then framed Williams to cover his tracks. “He's a key witness,” Steel told Judge Paige Reese Whitaker two weeks ago, referring to Copeland outside the presence of jurors. “I opened my statement with him. I said that Mr. Copeland killed Donovan Thomas.”

During cross-examination Tuesday, Steel asked Copeland if he knew he had been charged with Thomas' murder at one point. Copeland said he was incarcerated at the time for a weapons offense, but he knew about it. The murder charge was later dropped. Prosecutors now allege that a group of men, including alleged YSL members Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick, were in the car that shot Thomas outside the barbershop. Stillwell and Kendrick are two of Williams' five co-defendants currently on trial with him and have pleaded not guilty.

When he had a few minutes to begin cross-examining Copeland late Monday night, Steel immediately told the jury that prosecutors had threatened Copeland with prison time if he refused to testify or tried to claim he was Thomas's killer. Steel resumed questioning when Copeland returned to the stand Tuesday.

“Has the District Attorney [Simone] “Hylton told you that you would be incarcerated or arrested if you testified that you were involved in the murder of Donovan Thomas?” Steel asked, referring to the secret meeting between Copeland and prosecutors in Judge Ural Glanville's office that set off the series of events that led to Judge Glanville's removal from the case last month.

Copeland initially tried to evade the question, but then answered “yes.” When asked if he faced prison if he refused to testify as part of his immunity agreement with prosecutors, he again answered “yes.”

During 12 days of questioning by prosecutors—three full days of which were struck from the record due to Judge Glanville's recusal—Copeland rolled his eyes, yawned repeatedly, vehemently stated that he lied to police to “get rid of them,” and coined the catchphrase “I don't remember,” which gave rise to his name and became a meme.

Steel is expected to continue his cross-examination on Wednesday, followed by attorneys for three other co-defendants. After Copeland, the next witness in the case is Antonio “Mounk Tounk” Sledge, an alleged co-founder of YSL who has agreed to a settlement.

According to prosecutors, Williams and his alleged YSL gang trafficked drugs, shot them, and committed at least three murders while creating a “crater” of crime in Atlanta. The indictment accuses Williams of organized crime conspiracy, gang membership, and drug and weapons possession. In addition to Thomas' murder, Stillwell is also accused of the 2022 murder of Shymel Drinks. Another co-defendant in the case, Rodalius Ryan, was previously convicted in 2019 of the murder of 15-year-old Jamari Holmes, who is mentioned in the indictment.

So far, 75 witnesses have testified in the high-profile trial. The prosecution wants to call at least 100 more witnesses. After that, the lawyers for the six defendants will have the opportunity to call their own witnesses. The trial is expected to last until the end of the year, possibly until February or March, Judge Whitaker said recently out of earshot of the jury.

The case is the longest in the state's history and has become a pressure point for Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtney Kramer, the Republican running to replace Willis, has said that dropping the YSL case would be her “first official act” if elected. In a statement, Kramer called on Willis to immediately drop the case and “release the defendants … who are being held without bail.”

“With no justice in sight, I am deeply concerned and disappointed by the lack of prosecutorial oversight in this case,” Kramer said. “Over time, the public witnessed a trial in which the attorneys were undoubtedly overwhelmed and repeatedly reprimanded for their lack of trial preparation: a complete waste of the court's time.”