David R. Gonzalez, 59, was shot and killed in Virginia Beach on December 1, 2017, after a verbal dispute over rent. Gonzalez had been forced out of the Westminster Lane townhome he shared with roommate Nancy M. Copeland and returned to retrieve his rent money. According to court documents, a witness saw Copeland point a gun at Gonzalez in the hallway; a struggle for the weapon followed and a single gunshot fatally wounded Gonzalez.

Police arrived about 4:33 p.m. and found Gonzalez’s body. Several people at the scene were detained for questioning and investigators recovered guns, ammunition, and narcotics in the home. Copeland, 49, was identified as the primary suspect, taken into custody and charged with murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime; she was held without bond. Her defense argued she felt threatened and cited a history of verbal abuse, while witnesses and an autopsy were presented by prosecutors to show Gonzalez was defenseless and that Copeland had pointed the gun with straight arms.

A judge certified a second-degree murder charge and the case was set for a grand jury.