A state appeals court has upheld the Cayuga County Court convictions of a woman who shot and killed a man outside an Auburn bar in 2022, as well as a relative involved in the murder.
Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci said in a news release Friday that the Appellate Division, Fourth Department of New York State Supreme Court in Rochester recently affirmed the conviction of Shameek Copes, of Auburn, who was found guilty of murdering 37-year-old聽John Wesley Smith III聽outside Swifty's Tavern early the morning of March 15, 2022.
Copes was sentenced in March 2023 to 25 years to life in prison for second-degree murder. She was also sentenced to 15 years followed by five years of post-release supervision for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, with both sentences running concurrently. She was found guilty聽by a jury in January 2023 after a five-day trial.
The appeals court unanimously upheld Copes' convictions, Grome Antonacci said.
Junnell Copes
Provided
The court also affirmed the conviction of a relative of Shameek Copes, Junnell Copes, for聽second-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded guilty to the charge in December 2022, and was聽sentenced in March 2023聽to five years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Brittany Grome Antonacci previously called Junnell Copes "the catalyst" for the murder, saying he fired several rounds into the ground at Swifty's immediately before Shameek Copes began shooting.
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Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.
