Man denies Harvard killing

MEDFORD, Mass. (AP) - A New York City songwriter pleaded not guilty Friday to murder charges in the shooting at a Harvard dormitory of a man prosecutors say was at the Ivy League school to sell drugs.

Jabrai Jordan Copney, 20, whose girlfriend is a Harvard senior, had traveled to the campus in Cambridge with two other men with plans to rob the reputed dealer of money and drugs, prosecutors said. A pound of marijuana and $1,000 in cash were found near the victim in the common room of Kirkland House.

Copney and his two companions, who have not been publicly identified, had arranged to meet the victim, Justin Cosby, 21, at the dorm on Monday afternoon, authorities said. Cosby was a resident of Cambridge but was not a student at Harvard.

"The common denominator that led to the intent to rip off Justin Cosby of both money and drugs was that Justin and Jordan were known to each other through Harvard students," said Middlesex District Attorney Gerr y Leone.

Prosecutors said the men were either let into the dorm by other students or had access to a building card. They have not ruled out bringing charges against Harvard students. The university declined comment Friday on the latest disclosures.

Prosecutors said they were reserving judgment on who the actual shooter was. The two other men involved in the confrontation remained at large.

Cosby's family issued a statement saying he was not a "hoodlum or gangster."

Copney was not at a hearing Friday in district court. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and he was ordered held without bail on charges of murder, accessory after the fact to murder and possession of a firearm.

"My client is not guilty of first-degree murder," his attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., said outside of court. "My client is shellshocked by these developments."

After Cosby was shot in the abdomen, Copney fled to another Harvard dorm, Lowell House, where he hid a gun, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said early testing indicates the gun they recovered was used in the shooting.

Cosby stumbled down the street before collapsing. He was taken to a hospital and died Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Dan Bennett said in court that Copney's girlfriend is scheduled to graduate next month but disclosed no other information about her.

After the shooting, Copney returned to New York, where he lives with his mother and sister, Bennett said. His father is a retired New York City police officer, defense lawyer J.W. Carney Jr. said.

Bennett said Copney was a flight risk and intended to flee to South Carolina where he has relatives.

Carney denied his client is a flight risk, noting that he returned to Cambridge to turn himself in to police on Thursday.

Copney is a 2007 graduate of the School of Performing Arts in New York and is a professional songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by various ar tists, including R&B group New Edition, Carney said. He is listed as the writer of "Feelin' It."

Copney is due back in court July 15 for a pretrial hearing.

Members of Cosby's family attended Friday's arraignment but did not speak to reporters. In a statement, the family said Cosby was "loved and respected" by those he knew him.

"We are still in disbelief of the horror and shock of Justin's murder," the statement said. "He was not a 'hoodlum' or 'gangster' - people actually laugh at the thought of him being referred to in that manner."