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John Grisham meets “Love & Hip Hop in Atlanta”

ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – Forget “Law & Order.” “The Client”? I know that one. And don’t even get me started on “Matlock.”

The Young Thug trial won't be broadcast in hour-long crime and legal dramas on television or in series that can be watched in one go on a weekend, but it offers all the drama that serialized television can only dream of.

Murder. Gangland violence. Drugs. Money. Sex. High-profile lawyers. Political posturing. Hostile witnesses who turn prosecutors' stomachs. And a global entertainment superstar at the center of the storm.

“I can't look away; this is the most exciting case,” said Atlanta attorney Joshua Schiffer. “There are some great lawyers in this courtroom. And right now is one of the most important turning points in the YSL trial.”

That “right now” concerns Kenneth Copeland, aka Lil' Woody, who was once considered a central figure in the Fulton County District Attorney's case against Young Thug. But since the trial resumed under a different judge, Copeland has admitted to lying to police during a 2015 interrogation in which law enforcement tried to link crimes to an alleged gang controlled by Young Thug.

Police believe the gang “Young Slime Life” or “Young Stoner's Life” (YSL) is responsible for a number of gang-related crimes, including the murder of Donovan Thomas in 2015.

Last week, defense attorneys for Jeffery Williams (Young Thug's real name) and his co-defendants had their first opportunity to cross-examine Copeland. Under a sustained barrage of relentless questions from Young Thug's attorney Brian Steel, Copeland said he believed prosecutors leaked the interrogation video to pressure him to cooperate in their case.

“Woody did an excellent job under cross-examination,” Schiffer said. “It makes perfect sense that the state could have intentionally leaked the video to scare him, put pressure on him, and then lure him into the warm arms of the state for protection and support. Then he would receive all kinds of benefits, such as his immunity.”

Copeland also testified that he was forced to seek legal advice because the video made him look like an “informer.”

“It was his privilege to testify that by releasing this video, it could get into the hands of people who wanted to harm him,” Schiffer said. “Knowing how Fulton County pursues (organized crime), it looks like an organized attempt to coerce witnesses.”

Although Copeland said he repeatedly lied to police, he admitted his involvement in a September 2014 shooting at a barbershop owned by rapper Rich Homie Quan's father. The shooting left the father's rapper, Corey Lamar, hospitalized.

Young Thug celebrated his 33rd birthday on August 16, 2024, after being arrested along with 27 other alleged gang members in Buckhead on May 9, 2022, as part of a 56-count indictment.

Jury selection took longer than any other trial in Georgia history, and the actual testimony itself will likely surpass state records, both of which were set by the Atlanta Public Schools teachers scandal and trial of 2014-15.

The trial itself began on November 27, 2023. Defense attorneys have repeatedly raised concerns about the length of the trial, and Fulton County prosecutors have yet to call more than 100 witnesses.

The prosecution is trying to prove that YSL is a criminal street gang responsible for numerous crimes. The defense says YSL is not a gang, but merely the name of a record label.

Young Thug himself faces eight counts of criminal charges under a federal law originally enacted to combat organized crime. Georgia is one of 33 states with its own RICO law, but in the Peach State, alleged criminal organizations do not have to have existed as long as the federal law requires.

Williams is also charged with possession of marijuana with intent to resell, possession of codeine with intent to resell, possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun.

Atlanta News First broadcasts live coverage of the trial against Young Thug on ANF+ Live stream And YouTube channeland on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV. Download our Atlanta News First app for the latest information on Historic trial against Young Thug.

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