Christopher Copeland

A Huntsville man suspected of murdering his girlfriend Sunday in Limestone County has an extensive history of violent offenses, court records show.

Christopher Thomas Copeland, 34, is currently being held in Limestone County Jail on a charge of murder, officials said. Bail is set at $500,000.

Copeland previously listed an address on Mercedes Avenue in Huntsville but is listed in Limestone County Sheriff’s Office records as having the same address as the home where the incident took place, 28025 Copeland Road in the East Limestone community.

Deputies were called to the resident Sunday morning after a relative of Tonya Carroll, 37, told the dispatcher she had received a voice message from Carroll asking for help. Sheriff Mike Blakely said Copeland could be heard in the background threatening to kill the woman. When deputies arrived, Carroll was dead. While autopsy results are still pending, Blakely said Carroll had a “huge knot” on her forehead where she suffered a blunt-force trauma injury, possibly from a fire extinguisher found inside the house.

 

Violent past

 

Copeland’s prior record includes second- and third-degree domestic violence, discharging a firearm into an unoccupied building or vehicle, first- and second-degree assault, possession of a controlled substance and first-degree receiving stolen property.

He was charged with stabbing a man in 2010 and a different person in 2012. Copeland was recently released from a three-year stint in prison on a 10-year sentence for assault.

Copeland had only been out of prison for a short time when Sunday’s incident took place, the sheriff said. Carroll’s family and others are now wondering how a man with a violent past was able to get out of prison so quickly. Relatives told investigators that this wasn’t the first time Copeland harmed Carroll. Blakely said the woman had left Copeland around July 4 to stay with relatives, telling them he had beaten her.

Blakely said he hadn’t extensively researched Copeland’s history but placed the fault on the court system.

“In Alabama, we really don’t have truth in sentencing,” the sheriff said, adding most people sentenced to prison only serve a third of their sentence if they aren’t written up for behavioral problems. “Whether I agree with it or not, that’s the way it operates. I’m sure (Copeland) abided by all the rules and was not a problem so he earned ‘good time,’ which is the way the system operates now.”

Records show Copeland was also given credit for time already served while he was waiting on court proceedings. Blakely said he doesn’t blame the parole board or justice workers that are trying to work with overcrowded prisons. However, some offenders shouldn’t be given a second — or third — chance, he said.

“If they’ve had prior chances, lock them up,” he said. “Sometimes you need to throw away the key.”

 Women in domestic violence situations should also leave and report their abuse, the sheriff added.