COLUMBUS, OHIO (WCMH) – A man in court facing murder charges in a South Linden shooting that was referred to as an act of revenge will spend up to three decades in prison.

Devon Robinson, 27, pleaded guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter for killing Mario Copeland, 38, of Columbus. Robinson also pleaded guilty to kidnapping with a firearm specification. In exchange for the plea agreement on those two counts, prosecutors dropped a murder charge.

Robinson was sentenced to 25 to 30 ½ years in prison for his role in the slaying of Copeland, who was shot and killed on September 23, 2022. On that day video surveillance showed that Robinson and five others – Rayshawn Rogers, Christian Capers, Damon Capers and two others – surrounded Copeland in an alley near 1235 E. Hudson St.

Robinson fired a gun several times at Copeland and all the individuals who surrounded Copeland fled to their vehicles and drove away. Officers found Copeland at 1:09 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds. Medics transported him to Grant Medical Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:34 p.m.

All parties involved were reportedly acting in revenge for an accidental, but fatal drug overdose involving Lithasha Streeter. The suspects believed Copeland sold the drugs to Streeter, who died after ingesting tainted fentanyl, according to a release by the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

Streeter was found unresponsive on Joan Place, near East Hudson Street in East Linden. Robinson turned himself in on a parole violation warrant and confessed to his involvement during an interview with Columbus PD, which charged Robinson with murder.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Brown accepted a joint sentencing recommendation on both counts from the prosecutor’s office and from Robinson’s attorney.

Christian and Damon Capers were arrested on October 14, 2022, but charges were dropped in Franklin County Municipal Court. The other three suspects remain at large.