He was replaced by Judge Paige Reese Whitaker.
I will be the presiding judge in this case moving forward.
And you are not to concern yourself with this change, Judge Whitaker admonished the jurors.
Atlanta rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, speaks with his attorney Brian Steel, right, during a motion hearing as the new Judge Paige Reese Whitaker presides after taking over the trial Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at the Fulton County courtroom in Atlanta.Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP
She then instructed the jury to disregard any disparaging statements Judge Glanville made about any lawyers.
She also instructed them to disregard the second half of witness Kenneth Woody Copelands prior testimony.
Alright, thank you, she said a moment later without skipping a beat.
Monday mornings session moved quickly.
It depends on how I wake up, he told the court Tuesday.
Weinstein toldRolling Stoneon Friday that he believed any mistrial connected to Copelands testimony should end the case for good.
How do you forget that?
His repeated I dont recall reply became a meme on social media.
Colorful or not, Copeland is a key witness in the case.
You all know that Im full of shit, he told Deputy District Attorney Simone Hylton.
My motive was to get the heat off of me.
Hes rich, theyre not going to bother him.
So I got it off me by putting it on him, Copeland testified.
He acknowledged his testimony on Monday was favorable to Williams defense.
It may seem like Im trying to help Thug out.
Im not trying to help him out.
I dont care nothing about him, what he got going on or nothing.
I care about the truth.
I dont know what he did.
I dont know what he got going on.
But you all got me on the stand, and Im telling the Gods honest truth.
Leave me out of this.
According to prosecutors, murder victim Donovan Thomas Jr. was a leader of the Inglewood Family Bloods.
(Attempts to reach a spokesperson for Rich Homie Quan were not immediately successful Monday.)
Williams is not charged with Thomas murder in the indictment.
The defendants facing that charge include Kendrick and Stillwell, who have pleaded not guilty.
Still, some of the information provided to Copeland may have been inaccurate, she wrote.
According to the ruling, the recusal of Judge Glanville on July 15 mooted any claim he showed bias.
Williams has pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer, Brian Steel, has denounced the states RICO indictment as unconscionable.
In filings to recuse Glanville, Steel called the judge unethical and the trial broken.
He said Copeland once was named a Top 10 violent criminal in Georgia by federal prosecutors.
Steel contends Copeland lied to police in recorded interviews to deflect blame.
More than 70 witnesses have testified so far in the high-profile trial.
Prosecutors say they intend to call at least 100 more.
After that, lawyers for each of the six defendants will have a chance to call their own witnesses.
