A central witness in Young Thug’s ongoing gang and racketeering trial will have to start his testimony over, the judge presiding over the case ruled Tuesday.
It remains to be seen whether Kenneth Copeland will agree to retake the stand, but Judge Paige Reese Whitaker told him he cannot be prosecuted for anything he says that might incriminate himself. He could be charged with perjury or making false statements, however.
Copeland said he would decide next week whether he plans to cooperate.
In June, Copeland’s reluctance to testify was the subject of two controversial meetings between Chief Judge Ural Glanville, the previous presiding judge, and state prosecutors. Defense attorneys were outraged after learning of the secret June 10 meeting, and Glanville was removed from the case over his handling of a subsequent recusal motion.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Copeland eventually spent seven days on the stand and became something of an online star because of his sometimes bizarre behavior. He testified that he had lied repeatedly to police in previous interviews, and his go-to response of, “I don’t recall” was widely shared on social media.
With questions about which parts of Copeland’s testimony could still be used, Whitaker said it might be best to “start from scratch.”
On Tuesday, she told Copeland that if he refuses to testify, he can be jailed for the remainder of the trial, which is expected to run through the first quarter of next year. Jury selection began in January 2023 and the lengthy trial is the longest in Georgia history.
Copeland is a key witness in the state’s case against Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. The Grammy-winning rapper is accused of being the co-founder and leader of Young Slime Life. Fulton prosecutors say YSL is an Atlanta-based criminal street gang responsible for robberies, drug deals and a spate of shootings that left at least three people dead. The rapper’s attorneys deny the charges and say YSL is simply the name of the star’s record label.
Whitaker said she plans to call the jury back to the courtroom on Monday and asked Copeland whether he plans to cooperate.
“It depend on how I wake up,” Copeland told her.
“OK. All right, well then we will just revisit it on Monday morning,” Whitaker said. “Plan to be here at 8:45.″
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Copeland was initially told during the secret meeting that he could be held until all 28 defendants in the indictment had their cases adjudicated, but Whitaker told Copeland Tuesday that was not the case.
“I can’t hold you in jail, if you refuse to testify, beyond this end of this trial,” Whitaker said. “I think you had maybe been told something different earlier.”
Credit: Michael Blackshire
Credit: Michael Blackshire
Whitaker said there’s no telling how long this trial may take to complete, noting the state still has “100 more witnesses” before each of the six defendants get the opportunity to call whoever they want.
“I think previous projections have been February or March of next year,” she said. “I don’t know yet, but I guess that’s not outside the realm of possibility,” she said.
