Man pleads guilty in January murder in Columbia

The accused gunman in a January murder pleaded guilty Monday in Columbia. Jimiah Lambert was sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to voluntary manslaughter, unlawful use of a weapon and having marijuana.

Dontay Tolston was shot and killed in a home earlier this year on Newton Drive near Providence and Vandiver.

Two people, Martrell Smith and Derrick Copelin, were arrested right after the crime in New Orleans. Lambert was captured three months later in early March.

According to court documents, the other suspect, Smith, claims Lambert pulled a gun after a drug deal, and the victim, Dontay Tolston, also grabbed a weapon. Smith says he ran when the gunshots started.

Investigators also say Smith was responsible for the last six calls on Tolston’s phone.