Man pleads to charges in fatal shooting of homeless man

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man pleaded to charges in the killing of a homeless man back in 2017.

Jaquan Orlando Copeland, 27, pleaded in court Monday to accessory after the fact to first degree murder and other charges.

Copeland was sentenced to at least 13 years in prison.

Just after 6:30 a.m. on April 27, 2017, Steven Barton, 47, was fatally shot in the 1400 block of Hooper Street in Wilmington.

Officers were able to identify the vehicle driven by the suspects. The investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle was Copeland and the shooter was Eric Nathan Partin, 28, both of Wilmington.

Partin and Copeland were arrested by the Wilmington Police Department that night.

While the gun used in the shooting was not recovered, WPD detectives found and seized a shotgun owned by Copeland that was stored in another vehicle at his home where he lived with his parents.

As a result, Copeland, who was previously convicted of Attempted Common Law Robbery and could not lawfully posses a firearm, was convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Since the Copeland’s arrest, he has assaulted deputies on two separate occasions in the New Hanover County Jail. Copeland pled guilty to two Assaults on a Law Enforcement Officer Monday as well.

Assistant District Attorney Connie Jordan stated, “Mr. Barton previously served as an EMT and was a beloved member of the homeless ministry in downtown Wilmington. The exhaustive efforts of the Wilmington Police Department have brought justice in a case that would otherwise have no witnesses based on the location and timing of this crime, and we thank them for their hard work and dedication.”

On October 24, 2019, Partin was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years and a maximum of 22.6 years in prison in connection with this case.