On the night of April 14, 2017, a domestic dispute in Folsom, Louisiana, escalated into a fatal encounter for 27-year-old Cody Couch. The evening began with an alcohol-fueled argument between Couch and his fiancée, Kristin Copeland, after he decided to go out with friends instead of spending the evening at home. The disagreement intensified through a series of angry calls and texts while Couch was at a bar.
Copeland, who had been drinking with her friend Margaret Stockstill, reportedly set some of Couch's clothes on fire in the yard and sent him a picture.
When Couch returned to the residence on Tantela Ranch Road, he found himself locked out. After gaining entry through a back door, a physical altercation ensued involving Couch, Copeland, and Stockstill. The struggle moved through the house, causing damage to furniture, including a crib where a child was present. At some point during the chaotic brawl, Stockstill armed herself with a. 22 caliber revolver.
The confrontation reached its tragic conclusion when Stockstill fired a single shot, striking Couch in the lower abdomen. He was transported to a local hospital where he later died. Friends of Couch described him as a hardworking offshore worker and a devoted father who was not a violent or aggressive person. He was a graduate of Covington High School and was survived by his two children, a son and a daughter.
Initially, Margaret Stockstill was arrested and charged with manslaughter. However, a grand jury later indicted her on a more serious charge of second-degree murder. During her trial in 2018, Stockstill's defense team argued that she acted in self-defense, fearing for her life and the life of her friend during the altercation with Couch, who was significantly larger than her. Prosecutors contended that Stockstill had the opportunity to leave the house but chose to shoot Couch instead. A jury found her guilty of second-degree murder, and she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In a significant turn of events, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned Stockstill's conviction in 2020, citing the possibility that erroneously admitted evidence may have influenced the jury's decision to reject her self-defense claim. A new trial for Margaret Stockstill began in April 2023. The retrial once again brought the conflicting accounts of the fatal night into the courtroom, with the defense maintaining a narrative of self-defense against a 'drunken lunatic' and the prosecution questioning the level of threat posed by Couch.
