The trial of rapper Young Thug is again struggling after the chief witness for the prosecution's memory failed him multiple times while giving testimony, as he rolled his eyes and yawned.
The latest twist in the long trial under Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations [RICO] Act, comes after a defense attorney was given 20 days for contempt, the stabbing of a defendant in jail, uncooperative witnesses, and angry court exchanges.
Young Thug and 27 other people were indicted on charges of conspiring to violate Georgia's RICO Act for alleged membership of a street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, which also stands for the name of Young Thug's record label, Young Stoner Life.
Young Thug, real name Jeffery Lamar Williams, is also facing drug and gun indictments. Prosecutors say he frequently boasted about YSL in his rap songs, some of which have hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. Williams denies all charges against him and says in his defense that he is no gangster in real life and the lifestyle is simply adopted as part of his act to help sell a product.
On Thursday Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland yawned repeatedly, rolled his eyes and appeared to be having a nap. He told a prosecutor repeatedly that he didn't recall anything that was said when police interviewed him about an Atlanta murder central to the case.
After repeating dozens of times that he didn't recall events, Copeland began saying "yes" to every question put to him by a prosecutor, then confirmed that he was just saying yes to move the case along.
Copeland slowly repeated syllable by syllable that he did not recall a police interview in which he was questioned about the murder of 26-year-old Donovan "Big Nutt" Thomas, who was shot dead in Atlanta in 2015. Two of Young Thug's co-accused, Shannon Stillwell, who was wounded in a jail stabbing, and Deamonte Kendrick, have been charged with the shooting. Williams is alleged to have rented the car that was used in the murder.
Stilwell denies the charge and Kendrick has admitted guilt to conspiracy to murder in the YSL case.
Tensions between Young Thug's lawyer, Brian Steel, and Fulton County Superior Court Judge, Ural Glanville, continued on Thursday, when Steel compared the trial to "Communist Russia."
Steel accused prosecutors and law enforcement of escorting Copleand at all times in an effort to coerce his testimony and accused Glanville of doing nothing to stop it.
"Every time Mr. Copeland comes in the courtroom or out of court, he's escorted by a DA's office investigator. You see that? This court is observant. You're not just sitting there in a cloud...This is crazy. This is like Communist Russia. Mr. Williams is having the worst trial. So I'm moving again to stop intimidating the witness by the prosecution, leave people alone and stop accusing," Steel told Glanville.
Glanville criticized Steel for suggesting that prosecutors were lying and urged both sides to stop inappropriate accusations.
Copeland refused to testify earlier in the trial and Glanville found him in contempt of court. Copeland then spent the weekend in jail and began testifying on Monday, June 10.
However, his testimony has been largely unhelpful and he fired his attorney on Wednesday while giving evidence.
On Monday, Glanville sentenced Steel to ten weekends in prison for contempt of court after Steel refused to reveal who told him the details of a private meeting between Glanville and prosecutors.
After Glanville had Steel cited for contempt, he agreed to Steel's request that he serve his time in the same prison as Young Thug so that he can consult with his client on weekends.
Glanville said he would talk to authorities and have it arranged.
However, on Wednesday, Steel obtained an emergency stay from an appeal court and so will not have to serve his sentence until that appeal has been completed.
New York attorney, Colleen Kerwick, told Newsweek that Steel's request to be imprisoned with his client was "reasonable."
However, she said that Steel was found to be in contempt of court for refusing to reveal how he learned the details of an ex-parte hearing.
An ex-parte hearing occurs when a judge hears from one side of a criminal or civil case, without the other side being present.
"Steel accused the judge of having an ex parte communication with the Prosecutors and Kenneth Copeland (Lil Woody), a witness in the trial," Kerwick said.
"The lawyer disobeyed an order of the court to disclose who told him about the alleged ex parte communication. He was in contempt of court. The court can allow him to purge his contempt at any time by making his disclosure," Kerwick added.
"The lawyer is likely to appeal that as an abuse of discretion to jump straight to incarceration."
"As there is a likelihood of success on the merits of his appeal, a stay of the lawyer's incarceration pending appeal was granted," she said.
The RICO trial began on November 27, 2023, in Atlanta. Complexities in the case are believed to be an indication of how the prosecution of Donald Trump and co-defendants for alleged electoral interference under RICO might play out. The former president denies the charges.
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more