A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to murdering a 27-year-old former college basketball player who prosecutors say he became obsessed with after meeting her on vacation.
Kristopher Anthony Sinclair, 40, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Sept. 8, to second-degree murder in the February 2025 killing of Brianye’ Danielle Copeland.
Copeland was found shot to death in a Charlotte parking lot on the morning of Feb. 7, 2025.
Police had been called to a resource center following a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. When officers arrived, they discovered Copeland suffering from a gunshot wound in the parking lot.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly identified Sinclair as a suspect and arrested him on a murder charge.
According to an arrest affidavit, staff members at the resource center told police they had seen Sinclair standing over Copeland and punching her during a physical altercation.
But investigators later uncovered disturbing details about what allegedly happened in the days leading up to her death.
Prosecutors said Copeland and Sinclair had originally met while on vacation and that Sinclair later became obsessed with her.
Authorities said he even placed a tracking device on Copeland’s vehicle just days before killing her.
After the shooting, investigators used information about Sinclair’s vehicle to track his movements.
Police searched a wooded area he had visited shortly after Copeland was killed and discovered his identification, a backpack and a five-page handwritten note.
The note allegedly contained several chilling statements.
“She drove me to madness,” Sinclair wrote, according to the affidavit.
Other passages reportedly included, “I will not harm anyone else” and “When cops show up I’m going to join her in hell.”
More than a year after Copeland’s death, Sinclair admitted responsibility by pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years and a maximum of 31 years behind bars.
For Copeland’s devastated family, however, the sentence does not feel like enough.
“We don’t think it’s fair because he still has the opportunity to be set free,” her mother, Tiffany Matthews, said following the sentencing.
Copeland’s father, Brian Copeland, described his daughter as his best friend and said living with her loss has become a punishment of its own.
“It’s like a living death sentence,” he said. “You think about it every second of the day.”
Before her death, Copeland had already built a life filled with sports, business and creativity.
She played basketball in both high school and college and later pursued several different careers, including real estate and running a wellness products business.
Her family said she also enjoyed painting, making candles and working on graphic and web design.
“She led by example both on and off the court,” her obituary read.
Copeland was particularly close to her younger sister and cousins, serving as a mentor to them.
Her family remembered her adventurous personality, her love of planning vacations and her enthusiasm for discovering new restaurants and experiences.
“Bri’s infectious smile will always be remembered,” her loved ones wrote.
Her family is now working to make sure her name and story are not forgotten.
A GoFundMe has been created to help pay for a memorial mural honoring Copeland.
Her loved ones also established the BriWay Foundation, which works to raise awareness about domestic violence, gun violence and stalking.
For the family, Sinclair’s guilty plea closes one chapter of the case, but the pain of losing the 27-year-old remains.
Her father said the grief follows him every day.
“You think about it every second of the day.”