A man who allegedly killed his girlfriend Sunday in Nashville was captured here Monday morning after side-swiping another car while driving the vehicle of the woman he had just murdered.
The suspected killer, Samuel Copeland, 43, has been charged with criminal homicide for the death of his girlfriend, Porscha Clark, 26. The mother of three was stabbed to death inside her apartment at Trinity Hills Village apartments Sunday night.
Copeland was captured here after he side-swiped another vehicle on Highway 70 near Rock Island on Sunday night. No one was injured in the crash. Authorities say he abandoned the vehicle, which belonged to Clark, and hid in a nearby wooded area hoping to avoid apprehension.
While successful initially, someone spotted him walking along the highway Monday morning and reported it to law enforcement. He was arrested by Highway Patrolman Kyle Herren and taken for booking on the hit-and-run case.
It was as Herren was working on the report that he discovered Copeland was wanted in Nash-ville for the murder of Clark.
It was also learned the alleged killing of his girlfriend was not the first time Copeland had claimed a life. He was convicted in 1993 on second-degree murder charges and was handed a 25-year sentence. He was released on parole and was arrested again in 2007 for violation of parole.
Authorities also learned Clark had sworn out a warrant for domestic assault against Copeland earlier this month, saying he punched her in the head when she refused to give him a ride home. The warrant was waiting to be served against Copeland at the time of the murder.
Witnesses say they saw Copeland and Clark arguing Sunday at a Nashville night club.