The jury in the Young Thug/YSL RICO trial in Fulton County will not hear testimony this week as attorneys and the judge review police interviews and witness statements. This review began last week and is expected to continue through July 1 and 2. The jury, last in court on June 17, is scheduled to return on July 8 after the July 4th holiday.
Previously, testimony from witness Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland dominated the trial for over a week. Initially refusing to testify, Copeland agreed after a weekend in jail and an ex parte meeting with Judge Glanville and prosecutors on January 10. A convicted felon, Copeland agreed to testify against Young Thug, Shannon Stillwell, and Deamonte Kendrick after being arrested for carrying a gun in 2021.
The current review involves 17 hours of Copeland’s police interviews and over 2 hours of jail phone calls. The prosecution wants the jury to see these videos, but the defense disagrees, leading to the ongoing review of what will be shown in court.
On July 3, Judge Glanville will conduct an “in camera review of Copeland’s ex parte matter,” which has been contentious. Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, filed a motion to disqualify Judge Glanville due to the ex parte meeting, but it was denied for lack of evidence. Deamonte Kendrick’s lawyers, Doug Weinstein and Katie Hingerty, also had a disqualification motion dismissed and have petitioned the Georgia Supreme Court to halt the trial until an “unbiased” judge can review their motion. They seek an unredacted transcript of the ex parte meeting, claiming that Judge Glanville has obstructed a fair trial and violated judicial conduct rules.
The petition states: “Glanville’s obstruction of defendant’s right to a fair and impartial trial has risen to a level that defense counsel now believes all attempts to obtain relief in the Superior Court of Fulton County will be ineffective… Therefore, any effort to file a Writ of Mandamus in Fulton County that would be heard by Chief Judge Glanville would result in frustration and lack of action. Glanville’s court is where writs go to die.”
Kendrick’s lawyers argue that Judge Glanville tried to influence a witness during an ex parte meeting and then concealed it.
While Copeland’s testimony may not have significantly aided the prosecution, it gained him popularity on social media. It is unclear if he will return to the witness stand.
The post Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial Update: Lawyers Review Tapes While Defense Requests GA Supreme Court to Intervene first appeared on The Source.
The post Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial Update: Lawyers Review Tapes While Defense Requests GA Supreme Court to Intervene appeared first on The Source.