NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Detectives have named the person believed to be responsible for killing a woman in a weekend “brutal stabbing.”
Investigators with the Metro Nashville Police Department, have requested a criminal homicide warrant against convicted murderer and robber Samuel D. Copeland.
The warrant was in connection to Sunday’s brutal stabbing death of his girlfriend, Porscha Clark, inside her apartment in the Trinity Hills Village complex on E. Nocturne Drive.
Police said Copeland was last living on Hydes Ferry Road. He was identified as a suspect Sunday night.
Copeland was arrested in Warren County after he fled from a hit and run crash he caused overnight.
Detectives announced Monday night that they will be seeking the criminal homicide warrant for Copeland because of his history with Clark.
Clark was found dead inside her apartment Sunday evening. Her 4-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son were seen walking by themselves in the complex. Two neighbors walked the kids back to the apartment where they discovered Clark’s body. The children are believed to have been inside the apartment when their mother was attacked.
Police learned that Clark sought a domestic assault warrant against Copeland. She reported that he punched her in the back of the head and in the face after she declined to give him a ride home from her apartment. Copeland fled the residence before police arrived.
Officers assisted Clark in taking out a warrant against Copeland, but she declined counseling, shelter and an order of protection.
At the time of Clark’s murder, the domestic assault arrest warrant was still outstanding despite attempts by officers to serve it on September 7th.
Clark’s relationship with Copeland apparently continued over the past several days. He was reported to have picked up one of Clark’s children from a caregiver on Friday afternoon. The two were also seen together at a Nashville night club where they were seen arguing.
Copeland was convicted of 2nd degree murder in June 1993 and received a 25-year prison sentence. He was also convicted of robbery in August 1993 and received a 6-year sentence.
