Following an almost two-month pause and a series of different judges, the trial that is now the longest in Georgia’s history resumed on Monday with Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland taking the witness stand in the racketeering case involving rapper Young Thug.

Copeland, who previously worked with Young Thug and is a crucial witness for the prosecution, spent several hours testifying in an Atlanta courtroom, frequently responding with “I don’t recall” to the prosecution’s questions, as reported by Fox 5 Atlanta and Rolling Stone. He admitted to lying to investigators in 2015 to dodge prison time.

According to reports, Copeland confessed to implicating Young Thug during police interviews.

“I believed that the police would never pursue him,” he stated, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was simple for me to shift the blame onto him and take the heat off myself.”

Copeland was granted immunity but was arrested last month for refusing to testify. Both he and 32-year-old Young Thug, whose actual name is Jeffrey Williams, have been in custody while awaiting trial. Young Thug is one of five co-defendants in the RICO case.

Now overseeing the case is Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker after Chief Judge Ural Glanville was taken off the case, and Superior Court Judge Shakura L. Ingram recused herself shortly thereafter last month.

Although Copeland testified in June, most of his earlier statements have been dismissed from the case record. On Monday, Judge Whitaker clarified to jurors that they could disregard any testimony he provided after June 12, the date when the defense requested the first judge’s recusal.

As reported by Rolling Stone, Judge Whitaker had previously mentioned that a mistrial might be declared if too many jurors expressed they couldn’t “unhear” earlier testimony.

What are the Charges Against Young Thug?

Young Thug was arrested on May 9, 2022, as part of a large-scale investigation into alleged conspiracy violations of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as RICO. He faces accusations of co-founding the Young Slime Life, a violent criminal street gang, and, after two indictments in May and August of 2022, now faces charges related to racketeering, drugs, and firearms.

Jury selection began in January 2023, and the actual trial for the Grammy-winning artist started 10 months later. The proceedings have faced numerous hold-ups since November 2023.

Young Thug has pleaded not guilty and continues to assert his innocence. Several of the initial 28 defendants, including rapper Gunna, have since taken plea deals following their 2022 charges.

Prosecutors indicated to the judge that they plan to call at least 100 additional witnesses. Over 70 witnesses have already testified since the trial commenced.