FULTON COUNTY, Georgia. – The dramatic trial of Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) and his co-defendants will continue on August 8 in Fulton County.
It’s been an interesting week in the longest extortion trial in Georgia history.
On Monday, the third judge assigned to the case told prosecutors in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office that she was seriously considering whether there were violations of Brady’s Rule, which requires prosecutors to disclose any information that would benefit the defense before trial.
On Tuesday, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker met the state’s key witness, Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland, for the first time when he unexpectedly appeared in the courtroom.
Before his appearance, the judge sought to ascertain whether he had legal representation and whether what prosecutors had told him during the controversial ex parte hearing on June 10, about him being sent to prison until ALL of the YSL defendants appeared in court, was true.
During Woody’s appearance, he did not confirm whether he would testify next week. When Judge Whitaker asked him directly whether he would testify before a jury next week, Woody replied, “That depends on how I wake up.”
It was also decided that if Copeland does indeed agree to testify on Monday, he will be asked to start over. Attorneys for both sides were instructed to submit instructions to the jury explaining why they are starting over.
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Also on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Adriane Love insisted that they did not violate professional conduct and acted in good faith during their secret meetings with the judge originally assigned to the case.
On Wednesday, prosecutors appeared to dodge a bullet when they were able to prove that they had presented the defense with a piece of evidence they claimed they had withheld. The defense didn’t like that, however, and one of their attorneys asked the judge how many more times the state was allowed to say “oops.” Judge Whitaker ultimately told Love to get her “ducks and ducklings” in order, make sure there was nothing else the court didn’t know about, and turn over all other evidence to the defense by noon Friday.
Time was also spent this week discussing the testimony of another witness, and attorney Brian Steel, representing Young Thug, continued his push to have Adriane Love and Simone Hylton (who did not appear in court this week) dismissed from the case.
Young Thug and 27 others were indicted in 2022 for violating Georgia’s Racketeering Act (RICO) and committing multiple violent crimes. After the longest jury selection in history (10 months), a trial for Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) 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. The defendants claim that YSL stands for Young Stoner Life and is the name of a record label founded by Young Thug. Young Thug faces 8 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.
