YSL Defendant’s Lawyer Wants Mistrial Declared After Interrogation Video Leak on Social Media

In the motion, filed this week, the defendant's lawyer noted that the footage does not implicate their client but is still cause for a mistrial to be declared.

February 22, 2023

The apparent leak of discovery material in the YSL case has been cited by a lawyer as cause for a mistrial.

As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Gina Bernard—who’s representing defendant Jayden Myrick—said in a motion filed this week that her client’s right to a fair trial has been violated due to social media-shared footage that was leaked in recent days. The Sixth Amendment, notably, states that all are entitled to “a speedy and public trial” carried out by “an impartial jury” in the region where one’s alleged crimes are said to have taken place.

The motion’s filing, per a separate report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, follows the release of footage that seemingly shows YSL Woody (Kenneth Copeland) speaking with detectives about securing leniency if he were to offer up info, including details on what he claimed was an imminent murder.

Pointed out in the motion is that the leaked footage doesn’t implicate the aforementioned defendant Myrick, who was previously hit with a life sentence after being convicted of murder and other charges in connection with a fatal 2018 shooting.

This isn’t the first instance of the case being made the subject of legal criticism.

A lawyer for Young Thug, who was among the 28 individuals named in the original RICO indictment filed in Fulton County, spoke out back in December about prosecutors’ attempts at bringing creative expression—namely, lyrics—into the criminal proceedings.

“So, the problem I really have with the lyrics from rap music throughout our country and right here in Fulton County is we don’t do that with other types of entertainment or artistry,” attorney Brian Steel said in an interview with 11Alive, adding that the specific targeting of rap music “seems like it’s racist.”