Young Thug Associate In Court: ‘I Was Saying Whatever They Wanted Me To Say’ When Questioned By Police

Kenneth Copeland, also known as 'Lil Woody,' said he lied to get through police interrogations.

The ongoing RICO trial of hip-hop recording artist Young Thug has not been short of surprises.

Less than a week after being thrown in jail for contempt of court, a former associate of Young Thug admitted on the witness stand that throughout many interactions with police officers over the years, he was “making up stories” to them.

According to Complex, Kenneth Copeland, also known as “Lil Woody,” was on the stand June 14 when he was questioned by a prosecutor about various statements he had given police officers about crimes allegedly committed by associates of the YSL label owner. After continuously responding to the prosecutor’s questions by giving a simple “yes” without clarification, the prosecutor asked if he was responding “yes” to get through the questioning.

“Let me ask you this: Are you just saying ‘yes’ now to speed up your questioning?”

Lil Woody said, “Most definitely. I keep telling you I don’t remember, you keep asking me questions so I’m just saying, ‘Yes.'”

He added, “You keep sitting right here asking me the same questions over and over and over and over and over, I’m tired of it, I’m drained. I can’t be lying because I told you upfront that I don’t recall.”

He then explained to the court the reason he told police officers different stories.

“My name was on everything the police kept coming to grab me. Every time they grab me I had a different story for them. I know 100 percent facts and I’m telling you now, I was not truthful. I was saying whatever they wanted me to say. I was saying whatever I could come up with. I was trying my best to convince them that I didn’t do nothing, that I’m an innocent person, and that people put their hands on me.”

The Young Thug trial continued on Thursday, with witness Lil Woody, real name Kenneth Copeland, taking the stand. Copeland appeared irritated and eager to speed up the questioning, answering “yes” to every question. pic.twitter.com/XujjlQVzYG

— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) June 13, 2024

Young Thug, real name Jeffery Lamar Williams, was charged with conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and was accused of partaking in street gang activity when he was arrested in May 2022. Prosecutors then hit him with the charge of participating in street gang activity, three counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and possession of a machine gun.

Young Thug has been accused of heading an alleged affiliate of the Bloods street gang and being responsible for murders, armed robberies, and assaults committed between January 2015 and May 2022.