Tuesday, August 27, 2024
@JozsefPapp_
Steel asks Copeland about being mentioned on Young ’s “Halftime” song.Copeland said there is no truth to the lyric: “Lil whodie done pull up and pop at his noggin.”“I would never,” Copeland said.
Judge Whitaker just said a juror had to go to the hospital last night and court might be ending early today after the juror asked them if they could break early today.
Seems like the juror is feeling okay today and they plan to continue on until the juror tells them otherwise.
Steel is now asking about Copeland’s social media pages.
Steel is playing snippets of the interviews and exhibits the state played during Copeland’s direct examination.
Copeland testified he was told that Donovan Thomas and his friends were planning to hurt him the day that Thomas was killed.
Whitaker said the plan is to go on for about 45 minutes before dismissing the jurors for the day.No word on what is going to happen with juror #387 from yesterday yet.
Copeland just went on a rant talking about how he spent most of 2015 in and out of jail and talking to police during those interviews.He also said he is tired of being on the stand and repeated that he lied to police during those interviews.
“I’m tired of keep relieving this stuff. I’m tired of it. I’m sitting here, I got cramps, I got knots in my stomach,” Copeland said. “I haven’t eaten nothing. I tried to eat yesterday, I haven’t ate today.”
“I’m in pain right now,” Copeland said.“I understand it might be my fault, I’m telling y’all I made it up, I lied. Damn man, this is crazy,” Copeland said.
Copeland said Rice Street/Fulton County Jail is the worst place in the world and DeKalb County is just as bad or even worse.Steel is trying to get to Copeland’s motivation to testify but the state objected and Whitaker told him to move on.
Steel brought up that Copeland was charged with murder in the death of Donovan Thomas, four months after the June 10, 2015 interrogation. Copeland acknowledged that he was told about the charge.
“Jeffery Williams wasn’t charge with the murder of Donovan Thomas right?” Steel asked Copeland.“I don’t know, not to my knowledge,” Copeland replied.
Steel is going through Copeland’s plea deals and convictions over the years.
Whitaker said court is done for the day and jury will return tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Steel expects to be done with his cross-examination by 11 a.m. and before lunch. Attorneys Doug Weinstein and Careton Matthews said they will cross-examine Copeland for about 20-30 minutes. Attorney Max Schardt said he might need a full day.
It appears the next witness for the state is Antonio Sledge, who took a plea deal in Dec. 2022.