Young Thug’s judge reveals jury instructions as trial moves forward

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Friday marked a fourth day of motions hearings this week in the trial of Young Thug in Atlanta, with recently assigned Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker still considering whether to declare a mistrial after revelations of another secret meeting between the trial’s former judge, two prosecutors and a reluctant key witness.

Whitaker continues prodding both prosecutors and defense attorneys to collaborate on witness lists and evidence in an effort to move the historically long judicial proceedings forward. Whitaker has indicated all week she foresees the jury returning next week. On Friday, Whitaker said she is eyeing a jury return of next Wednesday, August 7, 2024.

Much of Friday’s discussions between Whitaker, prosecutors and defense attorneys focused on how much of Kenneth Copeland’s (aka Lil’ Woody) testimony should be included in the trial moving forward. Copeland was involved in two private meetings involving Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville, Assistant Chief District Attorney Adriane Love and Deputy DA Simone Hylton.

On Wednesday, defense attorneys for the globally acclaimed rapper and his co-defendants expressed their outrage after learning, seemingly overnight, about a June 7, 2024, meeting involving Glanville, Love, Hylton and Copeland. That meeting occurred two days before the June 10, 2024, ex parte meeting held among the same parties, a meeting that eventually ended in Glanville’s recusal.

Doug Weinstein, who is representing Deamonte Kendrick, aka Yak Gotti, filed a supplement to a motion for a mistrial Wednesday morning after learning about the meeting. Both he and Max Schardt, who is representing Shannon Stillwell, criticized Glanville repeatedly over his rulings and alleged bias toward their clients.

Whitaker has not yet ruled on their updated mistrial motion.

On Thursday, Whitaker denied a request from Brian Steel and Keith Adams, Young Thug’s defense attorneys, to disqualify Love and Hylton. Both attorneys were arguing that Love and Hylton are actually witnesses in the trial because of their participation in the meeting, and should not also be serving as prosecutors.

Whitaker has held a series of motions hearings all week in an attempt to get the trial going again. On Tuesday, Whitaker expressed amazement that prosecutors and defense attorneys haven’t worked together to present organized witness lists and pieces of evidence they plan on introducing in the rapper’s organized crime-related trial.

Whitaker also ordered Love and her team to produce a “much more winnowed down list of evidence” and witnesses by next week. Her order came after prosecutors said they still have 105 more witnesses left to call.

“This trial should not take the next seven months,” Whitaker said earlier this week. “I’m not saying it won’t, but it shouldn’t.”

Whitaker was assigned the trial only hours after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram recused herself, less than a day after she’d been assigned to it. Ingram had been assigned to the case after Judge Rachel Krause recused Glanville from the trial.

The June 10 ex parte meeting also included Copeland’s stand-in attorney, Kayla Bumpus. The legal term ex parte, translated from Latin as “out of the party,” refers to a decision made by a judge without requiring all parties in a dispute to be present.

On June 7, 2024, Copeland himself was jailed for refusing to testify. Copeland is widely believed to have informed police of alleged crimes committed by Young Thug and the alleged YSL gang. By the following Monday, Copeland had changed his tune and agreed to testify.

Then Glanville ordered Young Thug attorney Brian Steel to be held in contempt after Steel told Glanville, in open court, he had learned of the meeting, which was held without any other defense attorneys’ knowledge or forewarning. Glanville demanded to know how Steel had learned of that meeting, and Steel refused to disclose his source. That’s when Glanville ordered Steel arrested.

Glanville’s contempt ruling against Steel has since been suspended by the Supreme Court of Georgia. Glanville eventually released that meeting’s timeline and transcript. Glanville was eventually recused by Krause.

Williams was arrested on May 9, 2022, along with 27 other suspected gang in Buckhead as part of a 56-count indictment. The trial’s jury selection lasted longer than any other in Georgia history, and actual witness testimony itself will likely sur state records. Both records were set by the Atlanta Public Schools teacher scandal and trial of 2014-15.

The trial itself began on Nov. 27, 2023. Defense attorneys have repeatedly raised concerns that the trial could go on for years based on the number of witnesses the state plans to introduce.

Prosecutors are attempting to show YSL is a criminal street gang responsible for numerous offenses. Defense attorneys say YSL is not a gang but simply the name of a record label.

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

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

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