Cassie Oden’s Killer Is Sentenced to Life in Prison
On Tuesday, May 25th, 32-year-old Chance Lee Copeland was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 37-year-old Cassie Oden in June 2019.
As previously reported by KFYO News, Copeland had originally arranged for a meeting with multiple people back on that day in the 400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. At some point during the meeting, Copeland fired into a car, striking 24-year-old Preston Beadman, and killing Oden. Beadman suffered moderate injuries in the incident. Authorities described it as a drug deal gone bad.
A witness at the scene told police that before opening fire, Copeland said something along the lines of "they're going to learn not to mess with me." Allegedly, Copeland opened fire into the vehicle as it began driving away.
KAMC News reports that the jury only took around 20 minutes to deliberate their verdict on Friday, May 21st, starting at 11:03 a.m. and ending at 11:22 a.m. Deliberations for sentencing took a bit longer, starting at 1:52 p.m. and ending just after 3 p.m. At the time of his guilty verdict, Copeland faced a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 99 years in prison.
Copeland will not see the possibility of parole until he has served 30 years.
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