Missouri Woman Hunted Down And Killed The Man Who Murdered Her 16-Year-Old Brother

Missouri Woman Hunted Down And Killed The Man Who Murdered Her 16-Year-Old Brother Jackson County Detention Center

A Missouri woman was arrested after she allegedly tracked down and killed the man she believed was responsible for the murder of her 16-year-old brother. Tityana Coppage, 21, was charged by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office with second-degree murder for shooting 36-year-old Keith Lars in a parking lot in Kansas City, PEOPLE reports. Coppage believed that Lars was behind the shooting of her 16-year-old brother Jayson Ugwuh, who died from his injuries.

Facebook

  1. Police were quickly able to identify Coppage. Thanks to witnesses who came forward as well as surveillance footage in the parking lot where the murder took place, authorities quickly identified Coppage and arrested her for the murder, booking her into Jackson County Jail on $200,000 bond.
  2. Coppage claimed she shot Lars in self-defense. While she admitted during questioning that she knew Lars would be in the parking lot when she shot him, she claims that the murder was accidental and that she only shot him in self-defense because he fired his weapon at her first. However, police later found messages from Coppage to someone named “Auntie” in which Coppage asked for bullets and wrote: “LOL I used to [sic] many on bro.”
  3. Coppage texted her deceased brother after killing Lars as well. The message sent to Ugwuh’s phone read: “I owe em that body,” according to an affidavit. This message along with the ones sent to “Auntie” led authorities to file murder charges.
  4. A few days prior to Lars’ killing, Coppage posted a tribute to Ugwuh on Facebook. The post read: “I tried to shield y’all from everything I had to witness as a kid. I supported anything and everything you wanted to do in life. I tried to give you the best so you wouldn’t have to look for fake love in the streets,” she wrote in the Jan. 11 post. “I worked hard and long hours to keep a roof over y’all head, nice clothes and shoes on y’all feet refrigerator full of groceries. The streets didn’t rise y’all I did this shit 10 toes down. I was at those games as much as I could, I was paying for your studio time for your trips no matter the cost. All I wanted is to see you happy finish school and make it to the top. But some how I still failed you. This wasn’t you Jayson you was so sweet so quite a honorable young man why didn’t you just hear me out I only wanted more time with you that’s all.”

Police are continuing their investigation and encourage anyone with information to contact the Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or using the free mobile app at P3Tips.com

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
close-link
close-link
close-link
close-link