Press Releases
09/25/2023
Jury Finds Troy Hayes Guilty of the 2020 Murder of Dyshawn Copeland in Hartford
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) – Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford State’s Attorney, announced that a Superior Court jury today found Troy Hayes, age 47, of Bloomfield, guilty of the crimes of Murder in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a and Assault in the First Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-59(a)(3).
The conviction stems from the murder of Dyshawn Copeland, age 38, of Bloomfield, and the assault of a female victim on May 21, 2020 in Hartford.
Evidence presented at trial showed that on the evening of May 21, 2020, police received a 911 call from the female victim reporting that she and her friend had been stabbed. Officers responding to 40 Sherman Street in Hartford found Mr. Copeland lying on steps inside of the building. Mr. Copeland and the female victim were transported to the hospital where Mr. Copeland succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
The surviving victim told detectives that she and Mr. Copeland were inside her apartment waiting on a food delivery. Thinking the delivery driver had rung her doorbell, the female victim went to the door where the defendant was waiting. The defendant entered the building and the female victim ran after him as Hayes rushed to her apartment to confront Mr. Copeland. The defendant poured wine over Mr. Copeland’s head and fatally stabbed him. The defendant then tried to stab the female victim but she managed to defend herself, suffering stab wounds to the arm. During the trial, multiple witnesses testified that they saw a man on a red scooter in the area at the time of the incident and surveillance video footage nearby also showed the defendant driving his red scooter.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Danielle O’Connell, with the assistance of Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Riley, Inspector Emory Hightower, and Paralegal Specialist Kelly De La Cruz. The Honorable Kevin C. Doyle presided over the trial.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 4, 2023 in Hartford Superior Court.