Young Thug's defense attorney used long-awaited cross-examination of key prosecution witness Kenneth “Woody” Copeland on Tuesday to cast Copeland as a career criminal who may have been actually responsible for the 2015 murder at the heart of Young Thug's troubled, racketeering trial in Georgia.
During a full day of tense questioning, attorney Brian Steele grilled Copeland about his prior felony convictions, his public boasts about being a “gangster,” and the claim that Copeland was involved in a heated argument with Donovan “Nat” Thomas Jr. over items Copeland allegedly stole from Thomas’s car shortly before Thomas was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting outside an Atlanta barbershop on Jan. 10, 2015. Steele got Copeland to confirm that he had heard Thomas wanted to “physically” hurt him in retaliation. The exchange could be significant if it raises enough reasonable doubt in the jury about who killed Thomas.
Young Thug, born Jeffrey Williams, was not specifically charged with Thomas’s murder in the 65-count indictment that sent the Grammy-winning rapper to prison more than two years ago. But prosecutors allege Williams is the leader of a Bloods-affiliated gang called Young Slime Life that carried out Thomas’s killing to help consolidate power. Two weeks ago, prosecutors played a June 2015 police interview for the jury in which Copeland alleged that Williams met a group of alleged YSL members at a Texaco gas station to swap cars and give them a rented Infiniti for the drive-by shooting. Williams, who has no prior criminal record, has pleaded not guilty to being a violent gang leader and vehemently denies having anything to do with Thomas’s killing. Copeland, meanwhile, has denied anything in his police interviews that implicates Williams. He repeatedly said during direct questioning by prosecutors that he made up the story about Williams' alleged connection to Thomas' murder because he was under arrest for weapons possession during questioning and was trying to offer a “big fish” to cut a deal so he could avoid going back to prison.
Before confronting Copeland with questions about his alleged feud with Thomas, Williams' defense attorney asked whether Copeland knew that Williams and Thomas were friends and had filmed a music video together for a song called “In My Blood” on December 4, 2014 — just a month before Thomas was killed. Copeland said he did not know.
Steele also asked Copeland if he was promoting one of his own stated lies when he told police that Williams was upset with a man named Kelvin “Shell Kill” Watts, one of Thomas’s closest associates, shortly before Thomas was killed. Copeland told Steele that he made up the story he told police in his June 2015 interview about meeting Thomas outside a gambling house shortly before a FaceTime call in which Williams allegedly told Watts he wouldn’t “let go of anything” until Watts paid for a truck window that had been smashed in the alleged shooting.
“I did not have any conversation with Knott outside the gambling house. I did not have any conversation with him,” Copeland testified Tuesday.
Eventually, Steele became more aggressive, accusing Copeland of breaking into Thomas’s Tahoe and stealing his cellphone, identification, chain and wallet. “What happened was Mr. Donovan Thomas called his cellphone, and you answered it and made arrangements to return his property to him, right?” Steele asked. “Something like that,” Copeland replied. Copeland gave the same answer when asked if Thomas had shown up with “other people in other vehicles” to retrieve his property. Copeland said the group was armed.
“And shortly thereafter, you learned that Donovan Thomas and others were intent on harming you, right?” Steele asked before the judge decided he had to rephrase the question. “Did you ever hear that Donovan Thomas was having a meeting with others where they discussed you?” Steele asked.
“Yes, I was told that,” Copeland replied.
“Did you think that on the day Donovan Thomas was killed, he and his other friends were planning to physically harm you?” Steele asked.
“I was told so,” Copeland replied.
At other points during the cross-examination, Steele stood over Copeland and led him through a stack of court files relating to his charges and convictions for crimes including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, terroristic threats, robbery, and possession of a firearm. Steele also confronted Copeland about a 2020 video interview he gave with off the balcony “I don't want to be labeled as just a gangster,” Copeland said.
In his opening statement in the case last November, Steele told jurors that Copeland was a violent criminal who may have killed Thomas and then blamed Williams for covering his tracks. “This is an important witness,” Steele told Judge Paige Reese Whitaker two weeks ago, referring to Copeland outside the jury’s presence. “I have opened an investigation into him. I said that Mr. Copeland killed Donovan Thomas.”
During cross-examination Tuesday, Stillwell asked Copeland if he knew he was at one point charged with Thomas’s murder. Copeland said he was being held on a weapons charge at the time but was aware. The murder charge was later dropped. Prosecutors now allege that a group of men including alleged YSL members Shannon Stillwell and Demonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick were in the car that shot Thomas outside the barbershop. Stillwell 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 questioning Copeland late Monday, Steele wasted no time, telling the jury that prosecutors had threatened Copeland with jail time if he refused to testify or tried to claim he killed Thomas. Steele then resumed questioning when Copeland returned to the stand Tuesday.
Did the prosecutor say [Simone] “Did Hilton tell you that if you testified that you were involved in the murder of Donovan Thomas, you would be locked up or arrested?” Steele asked, referring to the secret meeting between Copeland and prosecutors in Judge Oral Glanville’s office that set off a chain of events that led to Judge Glanville’s removal from the case last month.
After his first attempt to evade the question, Copeland replied, “Yes.” He replied, “Yes” again when asked if he had been threatened with prison if he refused to testify under an immunity agreement with prosecutors.
During his 12-day interrogation by prosecutors — three full days of which were expunged from the record because Judge Glanville recused himself — Copeland rolled his eyes, yawned repeatedly, vehemently declared that he had lied to police to keep them away from him, and coined the phrase “I don’t remember” that has become a meme.
Steele is expected to continue his cross-examination on Wednesday, with lawyers for three other defendants expected to follow. After Copeland, the next witness in the case is expected to be Antonio “Monk Tonk” Sledge, an alleged YSL co-founder who has accepted a plea agreement.
According to prosecutors, Williams and his alleged YSL gang carried out drug sales, shootings and at least three murders while creating a crime “hole” in Atlanta. Under the indictment, Williams is charged with racketeering conspiracy, gang participation, drug possession and firearms possession. In addition to killing Thomas, Stillwell is also charged with the 2022 murder of Shimel Drinks. Another defendant in the trial, Rodalius Ryan, was previously convicted in the 2019 murder of 15-year-old Jamari Holmes, which is also mentioned in the indictment.
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 through the end of the year, possibly into February or March, Judge Whitaker said recently, outside the earshot of the jury.
The proceedings were the longest in state history and became a point of pressure on Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtney Cramer, a Republican running to unseat Willis, said dismissing the YSL case would be her “first official action” if elected. In a statement, Cramer challenged Willis to dismiss the case immediately and “release the defendants … who are being held without bail.”
“With no clear justice in sight, I have become deeply concerned and disappointed by the lack of judicial oversight in this case,” Kramer said. “Over time, the public has witnessed an undeniably overblown trial by attorneys who have been repeatedly lambasted for their lack of trial preparation: a complete and utter waste of court time.”
