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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - No witness testimony is expected this week in Young Thug’s criminal trial in Atlanta, but opportunities for plenty of drama still remain.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are continuing to haggle over the police interviews and jail recordings of Kenneth Copeland, widely believed to have informed police of crimes allegedly committed by Young Thug and his alleged YSL criminal gang.

Copeland - aka Woody or Lil’ Woody - is one of Fulton County prosecutors’ star witnesses. Young Thug attorney Brian Steel is accusing prosecutors of coercing Copeland’s testimony, who he said was being surrounded by law enforcement and district attorney officials.

Steel, along with Keith Adams, is one of two attorneys representing the global superstar rapper in what is becoming Georgia’s longest - and unquestionably highest profile - trial in history.

Copeland has identified himself in old pictures with defendant Shannon Stillwell. Prosecutors have been questioning his relationship with Young Thug, and Deamonte Kendrick, also known as Yak Gotti.

In 2021, Copeland was arrested in Fulton County after a traffic stop uncovered a weapon on him. Copeland, already a convicted felon, could have been facing a 10-year jail sentence for having the weapon, but over the course of a three-hour interrogation, Copeland told detectives about several crimes that had happened and were about to occur.

Copeland was sentenced to federal prison on Oct. 22, 2018, for being a felon in possession of a firearm after bringing an assault rifle into the Dunbar Recreational Center Gymnasium in Atlanta’s Mechanicsville community.

Williams was arrested on May 9, 2022, along with 27 other suspected gang members 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 surpass state records. Both records were set by the Atlanta Public Schools teacher scandal and trial of 2014-15.

The trial – which has been repeatedly plagued by arrests, charges and disruptions – 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 call up.

Prosecutors are attempting to show YSL, or Young Slime Life, 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 Stoner Life.

Young Thug himself is facing eight criminal counts under a federal law that was originally enacted to fight organized crime. Georgia is one of 33 states that has 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.

Attorneys for Williams argue the artist is not the leader of an alleged gang like prosecutors claim.

A total of 18 jurors have been selected, with six of them being alternates. Two jurors have already been excused; one had a medical emergency, and the other moved out of Fulton County.

Atlanta News First is broadcasting gavel-to-gavel coverage of Young Thug’s trial on its live stream and YouTube channel.

How can I watch the Young Thug trial?

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