Appeals Court Hearing Columbus Double Murder Case

By The Associated Press

JACKSON — A California man has appealed his conviction in the shooting deaths of two men at a Columbus nightclub in 2011.

The appeal from Daniel Paul Copple is among dozens the state Court of Appeals will consider during its March-April term. A decision is expected later this year. The Appeals Court is not hearing oral arguments in the case.

Copple, of Lucerne Valley, Calif., was convicted of two counts of murder in the deaths of James Bennett Mann of Columbus and Mark Caudill of Birmingham, Ala., at the Elbow Room pub in downtown Columbus on Feb. 16, 2011.

Copple was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences on the murder counts, plus another 15 years for aggravated assault for hitting a pedestrian prior to the shooting incident.