A man was arrested in Florida last month on a murder charge in a deadly shooting in Taunton, Massachusetts, in November, authorities said Wednesday.
Jerome Fordham, 36, is accused of fleeing Massachusetts after fatally shooting Ross Copeland, a 38-year-old from Raynham, early in the morning of Nov. 6, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. He appeared in Taunton District Court Tuesday to face charges of murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carrying an illegal gun and assault and battery with a gun.
Fordham was held without bail after pleading not guilty, prosecutors said.
Fordham was deemed one of Massachusetts' most wanted criminals after state police identified him as the suspect in the shooting in January. He was recognized by a person in Tampa County, Florida, who saw a wanted poster and contacted local police, who brought in the U.S. Marshals, prosecutors said.
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He was arrested at the Florida trailer park where he was living on July 19 and returned to Massachusetts the next day, according to prosecutors, who credited the person who spotted him for their vigilance.
Copeland was found fatally shot near the intersection of Mason and Myrtle streets about 1:38 a.m., and he died after being rushed to Morton Hospital.
