Young Thug RICO Trial: 8 Wild Moments from Lil Woody’s Week of Testimony

Key witness for the prosecution Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland dodged questions, lashed out at attorneys and often yawned during his unconventional five days of testimony this week in the trial of rapper Young Thug.

Copeland took the stand on Monday and testified every day this week. He will return to the stand on August 26 after a week of non-jury proceedings. The wild testimony is the latest dramatic development in a long-running trial filled with delays and scandals.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets individuals who commit offenses under a criminal organization. Williams and other defendants are facing charges related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity, along with drug and gun charges.

‘I Don’t Recall’

While Copeland agreed to testify, he often avoided answering questions from prosecutors by saying, “I don’t recall,” “I don’t remember” and “I don’t know.”

Last week, Copeland made a surprise appearance at a hearing as the judge, prosecution, and defense prepared for the jury to return on Monday. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker asked Copeland if he would re-testify in the case.

“Depends on how I wake up,” he responded.

Copeland’s original testimony was interrupted by motions to remove the original judge on the case, Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville. Glanville was accused of holding a secret meeting with Copeland and prosecutors.

Any statements Copeland made after the first motion were stricken from the record.

On Monday, he told the judge he was “pressured from the get-go.”

“I’m tired of y’all bothering me,” Copeland said.

Whitaker reminded Copeland that he had made an agreement with prosecutors in exchange for his testimony.

“Well, I’m sorry that you’re tired of being bothered but you’re under subpoena,” Whitaker said. “It’s a valid court order, so your decision at this point is, ‘yes I will abide by the subpoena and testify’ or ‘no, I will not abide by the subpoena and the immunity order, and I will be held in contempt for my recusal and put in jail.’ So, which is your decision?”

Copeland then proceeded with his testimony, but he dodged a variety of questions, including ones that were seemingly simple.

On several occasions, Copeland said he could not recall statements he had made the previous day in court. He also said “I think” when he was asked to confirm that a given date was his birthday.

Copeland Releases New Music

One of the most interesting moments from this week happened outside of the courtroom.

Copeland, who is an aspiring rapper, released a new song on Tuesday night called “I Don’t Recall,” a nod to his common response to questions from prosecutors.

“Don’t be asking me about no co-defendants, I don’t recall,” Copeland raps in the song.

He is also selling a scarf, T-shirt and tank top themed around the song on his merchandise website.

Lawyer Suspension Interrupts Testimony

Copeland’s testimony was cut short on Tuesday after he learned that his lawyer had been suspended.

He testified throughout the morning without his lawyer, Jonathan Melnick, present.

After coming back from the lunch break, however, Copeland said he was refusing to continue his testimony in Melnick’s absence. Copeland said he learned that Melnick was suspended during the break.

The Georgia Supreme Court announced the suspension earlier that morning.

“Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that Jonathan R. Melnick is suspended from the practice of law in Georgia for six months,” the decision read. “The suspension based on this opinion will take effect as of the date this opinion is issued and will expire by its own terms six months later.”

The state Supreme Court cited “non-compliance” with Continuing Legal Education rules and regulations.

Whitaker called for a recess after Copeland’s announcement as she tried to obtain a public defender.

She then released the jury for the day after learning the defender would not be available until Wednesday morning.

Copeland Yawns, Dozes Off Repeatedly

Copeland was seen occasionally yawning and dozing off on at least one occasion during his testimony.

On Wednesday, Copeland asked Whitaker if he could come into court at 10 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. He claimed that he was not getting much sleep.

Whitaker denied his request and said she would see him in court at 9 a.m. the next day.

Police Interviews Played in Court

While Copeland often could not remember what he told police in various encounters, prosecutors played footage of his interviews to help fill in the missing pieces.

On Thursday, prosecutors showed a video of Copeland being interviewed by police in 2015.

In the footage, Copeland laid out detailed information about the January 2015 drive-by shooting of Donovan “Nut” Thomas.

He also told officials about alleged crimes committed by Williams and other defendants in the case.

Copeland’s Scheme to Incriminate Young Thug

Copeland admitted that he told police Williams committed certain crimes to avoid being punished for his own criminal acts.

“So what I did was, to get them off me, I said, ‘Thug did this, Thug did that.’ Because I knew he didn’t do it,” Copeland said in testimony on Monday.

He explained his tactics further on Tuesday. He said he used the fact that officials wanted information on Williams to his advantage.

“They want to hear about Thug, so I’m about to sit right here and gas them up. I’m about to sit right here and say he killed 19 people, all types of stuff,” Copeland said. “I’m about to sit right here and make him look like the worst person on Earth, so that they could believe and let me go.”

Copeland said he became angry with Williams after he released a song mentioning “Lil Woody,” a nod to the aspiring rapper’s stage name.

Around that time, Copeland was facing questioning for the drive-by shooting of Thomas. He said the song seemed to point to him as a suspect in the murder.

” Why are you rapping about what I’m doing in the streets? Like that ain’t got nothing to do with [you], so yeah, I was mad at him and I was plotting on him,” Copeland said.

Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton asked Copeland if he was talking about a line in the song “Halftime,” which states, “Lil’ Woody pull up and pop at his noggin.”

He said the timing of the release bothered him more than the content of the song.

Copeland Lashes Out at Prosecutors

While Copeland agreed to testify, he often displayed his anger with prosecutors, leading to him being identified as a “hostile witness.”

Copeland was seen rolling his eyes multiple times during questioning. He accused prosecutors of asking him the same questions “30,000 times already.”

“I’m tired of answering these questions at this point. You keep asking me the same thing over and over and over and over,” Copeland said.

He also asked for a break on Monday because his blood pressure was “real high.”

“The quicker we get through this, the quicker we can leave you alone,” Hylton responded.

Testimony Drags on Another Week

Earlier in the week, prosecutors told the judge that Copeland’s testimony should be done by Friday, but it was still going at the conclusion of the week’s proceedings.

Copeland will return on August 26 for more testimony. In the interim, there will be a week of hearings on outstanding motions. The jury will not be present for those proceedings.

Whitaker said she hopes to have the trial concluded by the holiday season.

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