A Norfolk man pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder in the March 2021 shooting death of another man in the Grandy Village area, prosecutors announced.
Curtis E. Copeland Jr., 22, will serve 13 active years in prison for the killing of of 31-year-old Eddie Moet Jenkins as part of the plea agreement, according to a news release from the Norfolk commonwealth’s attorney’s office.
On March 17, 2021, police responded to the 600 block of Wiley Drive just before 1 a.m. At the scene, emergency services found Jenkins dead from bullet wounds to his head, torso and leg. Prosecutors say a witness identified Copeland as “one of multiple shooters.”
Copeland had a scheduled hearing before a jury trial Friday, but he pleaded guilty to the charge and Judge Robert B. Rigney accepted his plea. According to the plea agreement, Rigney sentenced Copeland to 13 years in prison, with another nine years suspended on the conditions that he not have any contact with Jenkins’ family or any witnesses. He must also complete 10 years of good behavior and five years of supervised probation.
“Contrary to what some people think, just because a person involved in an argument is armed does not give others a license to kill,” Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said. “Mr. Copeland had no legal excuse for shooting the victim, and his plea holds him accountable for this murder. My condolences go to Mr. Jenkins and his family.”
Eliza Noe, [email protected]
