ATLANTA — The YSL RICO trial involving rapper Young Thug continued on Monday with more witness testimony after a week of largely procedural matters. A key witness for the state, Kenneth "Lil Woody" Copeland, returned to the stand for most of the day as the prosecution's questioning drew to a close.
Copeland has been on the witness stand since the trial returned from a saga that saw the previous judge, Ural Glanville, removed from the case.
Proceedings began with the state playing the remainder of Copeland's past interview with police. Less than an hour after court began, defense attorneys motioned for a mistrial because information that was supposed to be redacted was presented in the interviews.
After a brief recess, presiding Judge Paige Whitaker discovered a misunderstanding regarding the redactions. Both sides quickly agreed on what to exclude in the interviews, ultimately avoiding a mistrial.
Police interviews continued before the prosecution delved into jail calls. During direct questioning, Woody continued to reluctantly answer questions.
The state wrapped up direct examination, and cross-examination got underway towards the end of the day.
Watch the proceedings below.
Young Thug, YSL trial live stream | Monday, August 26
Considered a key witness before the trial, Woody has largely declined to answer questions from prosecutors, often telling them he doesn't recall events he was allegedly involved in, statements he made, or even things that have happened this week in court.
It's become his calling card so much so that he actually released a song called "I Don't Recall."
Jurors returned to the courtroom earlier this month after a nearly two-month delay over the recusal matter with Judge Glanville. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker is now overseeing the case.
More on recent case developments
Judge Glanville was removed after attorneys for Young Thug had argued that he should no longer oversee the case because of a June 10 proceeding known as an ex parte meeting that became the subject of deep contention in the trial.
In her order, Judge Rachel Krause -- who was assigned the recusal matter -- stated, "This Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied, but the 'necessity of preserving the public's confidence in the judicial system' weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville from further handling of this case."
The controversial private meeting led to Young Thug's attorney Brian Steel being held in contempt and sentenced to a 20-day jail sentence, which was reversed after the state Supreme Court granted him bond.
Steel had been held in contempt for refusing to reveal his source for how he heard about the ex parte meeting.
Judge Glanville later released the transcript of the meeting with the witness, Kenneth Copeland, a.k.a. "Lil Woody."
Copeland was arrested on June 7 and held in contempt after refusing to testify on the stand as part of an immunity agreement. A few days later, in the judge's chambers, prosecutors shared an email sent to them by Copeland's attorney accusing them of making him a target by forcing him to testify. They also said his attorney was threatening to pull out of the case.
Prosecutors later told Copeland that if he still refused to take the stand, he could be in jail until every defendant had their cases decided. He did eventually testify.
Copeland had an attorney present for the meeting, but she was a stand-in for his usual lawyer, who was out of town. Steel insinuated that the court was committing "coercion" as no representation for his client was invited to the meeting.
The extraordinary turn in the case captivated legal observers.
