COVINGTON, La. – The woman who fatally shot her best friend’s fiancé will spend the rest of her life in prison.
According to District Attorney Warren Montgomery’s office, Margaret Stockstill was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing Cody Couch.
The fatal shooting happened on April 14, 2017. According to police, Stockstlil shot Couch, 27, during an argument at the home he shared with his fiancée, Kristin Copeland.
Copeland testified that she was angry with her fiancé after he left the house earlier that night and wouldn’t respond to her calls or texts. According to the DA’s office, she told him that their relationship was over and that she was going to burn his clothing.
When Couch got home around 10 p.m., an argument broke out between him and the two women.
According to police, "The argument allegedly became physical, at which point Stockstill armed herself with a .22 caliber revolver and shot Couch once in the lower abdomen. The investigation and evidence concluded that shooting Couch was not justified."
Couch’s sister, Tina, read a statement from Couch’s 9-year-old son during the trial.
“The hardest times are on Father’s Day, my birthday, and times when other kids have their dads around,” the letter read. “I have a hard time at night ‘cause I miss him so much.”
Judge Peter J. Garcia, who oversaw the trial and sentenced Stockstill, denied her request for a new trial. Assistant District Attorneys Blair Alford and Elizabeth Authement prosecuted the case.
