“Defense Challenges Secret Meeting in Young Thug Trial”

FULTON COUNTY, Ga.

Before the jury was brought in on Friday, Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, requested permission to question Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland about a secret June 10 meeting involving former Judge Ural Glanville, prosecutors, and Copeland.-

“I’m not here to hurt Judge Glanville. I like him, but I don’t know what happened in this case,” Steel said. He added that Copeland might say he thought the judge and the state were the same.

Steel noted Copeland allegedly wasn’t given food while jailed between June 7 and June 10.

Judge Paige Reese Whitaker responded that this was not relevant to whether Copeland’s testimony between June 10 and 12 was influenced by the ex parte meeting. She also pointed out that the attorneys had the option to discard all of Copeland’s earlier testimony but chose not to.

Shannon Stillwell’s attorney, Max Schardt, argued that the jury should know prosecutors gave Copeland freedom to roam Atlanta to get Young Thug and Stillwell.

Judge Whitaker emphasized the trial is about the defendants’ alleged crimes, not how Judge Glanville and the state handled Copeland. She allowed the defense to question Copeland about the immunity agreement and invited them to submit a list of questions for review.