Young Thug's Lawyer Grylls Key Witness, Makes Him Murder Suspect

Young Thug's defense attorney used the long-awaited cross-examination of key prosecution witness Kenneth “Woody” Copeland on Tuesday to cast Copeland as a career criminal who may have been the one really responsible for the 2015 killing at the heart of his trouble Young Thug- was plagued by gang prosecution and extortion in Georgia.

During a tense day of cross-examination, attorney Brian Steele grilled Copeland about his previous felony convictions, his public brag about being a “gangster” and the allegation that Copeland was involved in a heated altercation with Donovan “Nat” Thomas Jr. for items. Copeland allegedly stole from Thomas' car shortly before Thomas was shot in a shooting outside an Atlanta barbershop on January 10, 2015. Steel asked Copeland to confirm that he had heard that Thomas wanted to harm him “physically” as retaliation. The exchange could prove significant if it raises enough reasonable doubt for jurors about who killed Thomas.

Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, is not specifically charged with Thomas' murder in the sprawling 65-count indictment that landed the Grammy-winning rapper in prison more than two years ago. But prosecutors allege Williams is the head of a Bloods-affiliated gang called Young Slime Life, which carried out Thomas' killing to help consolidate power. Two weeks ago, prosecutors played a June 2015 police interview for jurors in which Copeland claimed Williams met a group of alleged YSL members at a Texaco gas station to swap cars and gave them his rented Infinity for the shootings. Williams, who has no previous criminal record, has pleaded not guilty to being the kingpin of a violent gang and strongly denies having anything to do with Thomas' murder. Copeland, meanwhile, has denied anything in his police interviews implicating Williams. He said repeatedly during direct examination by prosecutors that 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” to makes a deal. he could avoid going back to prison.

Before confronting Copeland with questions about his own alleged feud with Thomas, Williams' defense attorney asked if Copeland knew that Williams and Thomas were friends who shot a music video together for a song called “In My Blood ” on December 4, 2014 – just one month before Thomas was murdered. Cowland said he didn't know.

Steel also asked Copeland if he was telling one of his lies when he told police Williams was upset with a man named Kelvin “Shell Kell” Watts, one of Thomas' closest associates, shortly before Thomas was murdered. Copeland told Steel he made up the story he told police in his June 2015 interview about meeting Thomas outside a gambling house shortly before he mediated a Facetime call in which Williams allegedly told Watts that he wouldn't “give up shit” until Watts paid for a truck. windshield shattered in alleged shooting.

“I never had any conversation with Nat outside of the gambling house,” Cowland testified Tuesday. “I never had a conversation with him.”

Steel eventually became more adversarial, accusing Copeland of breaking into Thomas' Tahoe and stealing his cell phone, ID, chain and wallet. “What happened was Mr. Donovan Thomas called his own cell phone and you answered and arranged to return his property to him, honestly?” Steel asked. Copeland replied, “Something like that.” Copeland gave the same answer when asked if Thomas showed up with “other people in other cars” to retrieve his property. Copeland said the group was armed.

“And shortly after that, you found out that Donovan Thomas and others were going to hurt you, right?” Steel asked before the judge decided he needed to rephrase the question. “Did you ever hear of Donovan Thomas having a meeting with others where they discussed you?” Steel asked.

“Yes, they told me,” Copeland replied.

“Did you believe that on the date Donovan Thomas was murdered, he and others, his friends, had a plan to physically harm you?” Steel asked.

“That's what they told me,” Copeland replied.

Elsewhere during the cross-examination, Steel stood over Copeland and walked him through a stack of court records related to his indictments and convictions for crimes including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threats, theft and felon possession of a firearm. Steel also confronted Copeland for a 2020 video interview Except for the terrace to which Copeland said, “I don't want to be labeled 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. “This is a great witness,” Steel told Judge Paige Reese Whitaker two weeks ago, referring to Copeland outside the presence of the jury. “I opened up on him. I said Mr. Cowland killed Donovan Thomas.'

During cross-examination Tuesday, Steel asked Copeland if he knew he was ever charged with Thomas' murder. Copeland said he was locked in a gun case at the time, but he knew. 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. Stilwell and Kendrick are two of Williams' five co-defendants currently on trial with him who have pleaded not guilty.

When he had a few minutes to begin his cross-examination of Copeland late Monday morning, Steel wasted no time in informing jurors that Copeland had been threatened with prison by prosecutors if he refused to testify or tried to claim he was the one who killed Thomas. . Steel took the line of questioning when Copeland returned to the stand on Tuesday.

“The Prosecutor said so [Simone] Hylton is telling you that if you testify that you were involved in the murder of Donovan Thomas, will you be locked up or arrested?' Steel asked, referring to the secret meeting between Copeland and prosecutors in Judge Ural Glanville's chambers that set off the chain of events that led to Judge Glanville's removal from the case last month.

After initially trying to avoid the question, Copeland replied, “Yes.” He again said “yes” when asked if he was threatened with jail time if he refused to testify as part of his immunity deal with prosecutors.

During his 12 days of questioning by prosecutors — three full days of which were removed from the record because of Judge Glanville's exoneration — Copeland rolled his eyes, yawned repeatedly, profusely stated that he lied to police to ” come off” and coined the “I don't remember” catchphrase that turned him into a meme.

Steel is expected to resume his cross-examination on Wednesday, with lawyers for three other co-defendants expected to follow. After Copeland, the next expected witness in the case is Antonio “Mounk Tounk” Sledge, an alleged YSL co-founder who accepted a plea deal.

According to prosecutors, Williams and the alleged YSL gang carried out drug sales, shootings and at least three murders as they created a “crater” of crime in Atlanta. According to the indictment, Williams is charged with racketeering conspiracy, gang membership and possession of drugs and firearms. In addition to Thomas' murder, Stillwell is also charged with the 2022 murder of Shymel Drinks. Another co-defendant in the trial, Rodalius Ryan, was previously convicted of the 2019 indictment killing of 15-year-old Jamari Holmes.

Seventy-five witnesses have testified so far in the high-profile trial. Prosecutors say they plan to call at least 100 more. After that, lawyers for each of 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 in February or March, Judge Whitaker recently said outside the jury's earpiece.

The case is the largest in state history and has become a point of pressure for Georgia Attorney General Fani Willis. Courtney Kramer, the Republican vying to unseat Willis, has said dropping the YSL case would be her “first official action” if elected. In a statement, Kramer challenged Willis to dismiss the case immediately and “release the defendants … who are being held without bail.”

“With no apparent justice, I have been very concerned and disappointed by the lack of prosecutorial oversight in this case,” Kramer said. “As time goes on, the public has witnessed a trial that has undoubtedly been over by lawyers, who have been repeatedly warned about a lack of trial preparation: a complete and utter waste of the court's time.”