Woman charged with second-degree murder: Fight over cigarette lighter leads to second-degree murder charge

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·3 min read
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May 1—By GREG JORDAN

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — An argument over a cigarette lighter and cigarettes led Tuesday to a woman being arraigned in Mercer County Magistrate Court on a felony charge of second-degree murder.

Deputies with the Mercer County Sheriff's Department responded Monday to a home at 801 Old Bramwell Road near Bluefield, according to a statement released Tuesday morning by Capt. J.J Ruble. The call concerned a fight between two females where one had become unresponsive.

In a criminal complaint, Detective M.T. Hatfield with the sheriff's department said he was contacted by Cpl. M.R. Lacy after a call was received about a verbal and physical altercation at the Old Bramwell Road home. One of the women, Debra Olivo, 62, of Bluefield was left unresponsive. The second person, Crystal Copley, 36, of Bluefield had left the scene, but law enforcement found her a short distance away on Old Bramwell Road.

"It should be noted that Crystal was advised what was happening and she complied to coming to the Sheriff's Department to speak with me," Hatfield said. "While I was in route to the Sheriff's Department, I was advised by Deputy A.M. Presley that Debra was pronounced deceased."

Deputy Presley later told Hatfield that he had spoke to two people who were present when the altercation between Copley and Olivo occurred. One said Coply arrived at the home "and had gotten into a verbal altercation with Debra over cigarettes and a lighter."

The witness then said the argument became physical and Copley pushed Olivo against a brick wall on the home's porch. When Copley left, Olivo walked into the home and started calling 911. While calling, she collapsed onto the floor and became unresponsive, Hatfield said in the complaint. CPR was administered until emergency personnel arrived. The witness was asked if Copley had struck Olivo at any point, and he said no.

Detective Hatfield said in the complaint that he interviewed Copley. During this interview, she said that the altercations between her and Olivo had been going for the past six months. She said Olivo had accused her of "stealing a lighter leash from her."

Copley said the push against Olivo was "relatively easy and she had pushed her to create distance and keep (Olivo) away from her," Hatfield said.

Copley was charged with second-degree murder after Hatfield spoke with Prosecuting Attorney Brian Cochran, according to the criminal complaint. She was arraigned Tuesday by Magistrate Mike Crowder and remanded to the Southern Regional Jail in lieu of a $100,000 cash-only bond.

In West Virginia, second-degree murder has a possible sentence to 10 to 40 years in prison, according to the West Virginia Code.

Olivo's body was sent to the West Virginia State Medical Examiner's Office in Charleston.

The ongoing sheriff's office investigation is being conducted by Detective Hatfield and Deputy A.M Presley.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com