"Man found guilty in Harvard slaying; Jabrai Jordan Copney gets life in prison for 2009 dorm shooting" by John R. Ellement, Globe Staff / April 23, 2011
WOBURN — Denise Cosby asked the question that has haunted her ever since she stood over her son in a hospital room 704 days ago yesterday and watched with horror as the heart monitor slowly flatlined.
“You pulled the trigger three times,’’ Cosby yesterday demanded of Jabrai Jordan Copney as he sat in a Middlesex courtroom. “Why did you shoot my son? Why?’’
Cosby’s questions went unanswered by Copney, a 22-year-old New York man convicted yesterday of murdering Cosby’s only son, Justin D. Cosby, inside a residence hall at Harvard University on May 18, 2009.
A Middlesex Superior Court jury of nine women and three men deliberated for three days before concluding that Copney was guilty of first-degree murder, which carries an automatic sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
Copney’s conviction marks the end of a major chapter in the story of the killing at Harvard, which ended Cosby’s life, cost Copney and two other men their freedom, and probably ended the Harvard careers of two New York women who were a week from graduation when Cosby died.
Copney’s girlfriend, Brittany Smith, who allowed him to live in her Harvard dormitory room, has pleaded not guilty to charges of illegal possession of a firearm, accessory after the fact to murder, willfully misleading a grand jury, and willfully misleading a police officer.
Chanequa Campbell, who was also a Harvard student and like Smith was not allowed to graduate, is not facing criminal charges. However, she testified she knew in advance of the plan to rob Cosby of cash and marijuana, knew that Copney and his allies would be armed with a handgun, and sold drugs to other Harvard students.
Copney’s two allies, Blayn Jiggetts and Jason Aquino, cut deals with prosecutors in return for the dropping of first-degree murder charges against each man. Aquino is serving an 18- to 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Jiggetts has yet to be sentenced, but is expected to face less than 20 years after he took the stand and told jurors he brought a 9mm handgun to Harvard. He insisted, however, that Copney pulled the trigger.
The jury told the court they convicted Copney under the legal theory of felony murder, which can hold a party responsible for a death even if that person did not do the killing.
I say LET the WAR CRIMES TRIALS for BUSH, CHENEY, et al, BEGIN!!!
The story of the drug deals and homicide unfolding inside Harvard drew worldwide attention, but it was left to two mothers yesterday to describe the pain a murder leaves behind, and the pain a life imprisonment creates.
“I can’t understand what the jurors saw that I didn’t,’’ Copney’s mother, Yvette, said after the verdict as tears streamed down her face. “They took the life away from my son at 22 years old.’’
Copney’s mother, who attended every day of the three-week trial, said she often thought of pausing to talk briefly with Denise Cosby when they passed in the courthouse.
“I do sympathize as a mother,’’ she said. “I don’t know what it’s like to lose a son when it comes to death. But she needs to understand it wasn’t Jabrai who committed the crime. No, the murderer was Jiggetts.’’
Asked later about comments by Copney’s mother, Denise Cosby replied with a steely tone: “As one mother to another, she has my sympathy for having borne a son like Jabrai.’’
Denise Cosby said she still does not understand why Copney chose to fire the handgun, instead of letting her son go or even hitting him.
I'm confused. Who actually killed the kid?
“I would like to know if he ever even thought about the repercussions of what he was doing,’’ Denise Cosby said. “Whether he heard me or not, I’m just glad to have been able to say what was on my heart to him.’’
She acknowledged that her son was involved in illegal activities such as small-scale drug dealing, but said that was no reason for him to lose his life....
Yeah, THAT I AGREE WITH!
Maybe it is TIME to LEGALIZE so MORE KIDS DON'T LOSE their LIVES because of DRUGS and MONEY!
She said she welcomed Copney’s conviction, which brings with it her belief that he will not harm another mother’s son.
At one point in court as she sat near her son’s killer, she turned to him and said: “I truly hope his spirit will haunt you for the rest of your life.’’
I'm going to be haunted by reading this article filled with hate.
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