ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A man wanted in a fatal stabbing in Hendersonville last month has been arrested in Asheville.
Willie Lee Brown III, 34, of Hendersonville, was taken into custody in without incident by the U.S. Marshal Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force at the request of the Hendersonville Police Department, the police department said in a news release. Police officials said he was found Sunday at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Brevard Road
The stabbing happened about 8:43 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2024. Officers were dispatched to the intersection of 7th Avenue East and Robinson Terrace to assist Henderson County EMS with an unknown problem. They found a man with penetrating injuries consistent with an assault. EMS transported him to Pardee UNC Health, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The victim was identified as Kevin Deran Copelin, 50, of Hendersonville.
Brown was later identified as a suspect in the stabbing and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Details about his arrest have not been released.
Brown has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond in the Henderson County Detention Center.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Hendersonville Police Department at 828-697-3025. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the Hendersonville Police Department app which can be downloaded from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store by searching “Hendersonville PD.”