Suspect pleads guilty to drug charge, murder charge dropped in Columbia killing

A New Orleans man who was charged in a January 2014 killing pleaded guilty to a drug charge in Boone County Court Monday afternoon.

17-year-old Derrick Copelin was charged with second degree murder for the killing of Dontay Tolston in the 2000 block of Newton Drive in Columbia this past winter.

The murder charge was dropped.

According to court documents, the killing was drug-related. Another co-defendant in the case, Jimiah Lambert, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, unlawful use of a weapon, and possession of a controlled substance last week. Lambert was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Copelin was sentenced to 180 days in prison, with credit for time already served.