Cabot woman admits to fatal shooting, sentenced to 10 years

Was testing victim’s protective vest

A 31-year-old Cabot woman who told authorities she saw a Jacksonville man fatally shot by a passing motorist has accepted a 10-year prison sentence for manslaughter after admitting she inflicted the fatal wound while testing a bullet-resistant vest with the man.

Sentencing papers filed Monday show Brandy Ann Copeland pleaded guilty before Circuit Judge Karen Whately to manslaughter and being a felon in possession of a handgun in an agreement negotiated by deputy prosecutor Justin Harper and Pulaski County Public Defender Bill Simpson.

Copeland was on parole at the time of the killing. With a criminal history of drug trafficking, gun possession, theft and fleeing, this will be her sixth trip to the penitentiary.

Joseph Matthew Olscwa was found shot to death by sheriff's deputies in July 2021 at the Mundo Road home of Johnny Watson, with Copeland the only immediate witness to the shooting, court records show.

She told investigators that a car driving north stopped in the driveway and fired a shot at Olscwa, who ran to the back of the house and collapsed.

Watson said he didn't see what happened because he was inside. Watson told deputies he heard a gunshot followed by Copeland's screaming and ran out to help the wounded man.

A search found no evidence that Olscwa had run like Copeland had claimed, turning up marks in the dirt that indicated he had been shot where he fell, court filings show.

Pressed by deputies, Copeland admitted to shooting Olscwa in the chest but said it was an accident. She said he'd acquired a bulletproof vest and wanted to see if it would work. After she shot him, Olscwa fell to the ground bleeding.

Copeland said she removed the vest but claimed not to know what she'd done with it or with the gun she had used before admitting she'd thrown both into some nearby woods. Deputies found a blood-covered black ballistic plate-carrier style vest with a steel plate inside and a 9mm pistol under a backpack that had some of Copeland's possessions in it, court records show.

The vest had apparent bullet holes, with an apparently fresh bullet mark at the top of the steel plate. There were also several bullet fragments inside the vest.

Investigators also found several Facebook Messenger messages between Copeland and Olscwa that showed they had been arguing back and forth, court records show.

Deputies later found two other witnesses, Evan Davis and Hannah Wilson, who left before authorities arrived at the home.

Evans told investigators he saw Copeland with a gun and Olscwa wearing a black ballistic vest outside. Evans said he ran inside to get Watson to help before calling 911 then leaving, stating that Olscwa was still wearing the vest when he left with Wilson.

Wilson said she was outside smoking when she heard Copeland yell then both Copeland and Olscwa fall to the ground, like they were wrestling. She said she realized Olscwa had been shot when Copeland stood up and she could see the blood on Olscwa.


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