Jurors involved in the lengthy racketeering and gang case against the rapper known as Young Thug along with other defendants have resumed proceedings in an Atlanta courtroom after an eight-week hiatus to address a change in judges.
The trial was halted in early July while a decision was made regarding the removal of the judge overseeing the case, ultimately leading to Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville being relieved of his duties on the case due to requests for his recusal from two of the defendants.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has been appointed to take charge of the trial, and after denying requests for a mistrial, proceedings resumed with witness Kenneth Copeland back on the stand.
Young Thug, also known as Jeffery Williams, was charged two years ago in a multi-count indictment alleging more than two dozen individuals were involved in a conspiracy to violate Georgia’s anti-racketeering regulations. Additionally, Young Thug faces charges related to gang affiliation, drug offenses, and firearms violations. The rapper is being jointly tried with five co-defendants.
Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, maintains his client’s innocence and aims to clear his name through a fair legal process.
The legal teams for Young Thug and another defendant, Deamonte Kendrick, had sought Judge Glanville’s recusal based on a meeting he had with prosecutors and a key state witness, Copeland, which they argued was done without the presence of the defendants and their lawyers. The defense contended that the meeting was inappropriate and suggested that the judge and prosecutors may have pressured the witness to testify in a certain way.
Judge Rachel Krause, who evaluated the situation, recognized that while Judge Glanville’s meeting was not in itself wrong, his removal was necessary to uphold the public’s trust in the judiciary.
Copeland, who had been granted immunity by prosecutors, agreed to testify on Monday under Judge Whitaker’s instructions, which required him to testify or remain in jail until the trial’s conclusion. During his testimony, Copeland stated he had trouble recalling events from years prior, admitted to providing false information to law enforcement, and revealed that he had implicated Young Thug to authorities as a means to extricate himself from legal trouble.
