Devon Robinson Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter for the 2022 Death of Mario Copeland

Posted on 6/29/2023

Defendant: Devon Robinson

A 27-year-old Columbus man has been sentenced to 25 to 30-½ years in prison for his role in a 2022 shooting that left Mario Copeland, 38, dead.

Devon Robinson pleaded guilty Wednesday, July 28, to voluntary manslaughter for killing Copeland, also of Columbus. Robinson also pled guilty to kidnapping with a firearm specification. The prosecutor’s office dropped murder charges in return for these two guilty pleas.

On Sept. 23, 2022, Robinson and some acquaintances sought out Copeland, thinking he was responsible for participating in a deal to provide tainted fentanyl to a female friend. Earlier in that day, Columbus police found the woman unresponsive on Joan Place on Columbus’ northeast side. She later died from an overdose. In response, Robinson, the woman’s brother and others tracked down Copeland in the area of East Hudson and Ontario streets, where Robinson shot him multiple times.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Brown accepted a joint sentencing recommendation on both counts from the prosecutor’s office and from Robinson’s attorney.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Simon Huh and Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Cable prosecuted the case for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.