Albany man sentenced to 70 years for murdering neighbor with 12-gauge shotgun
ALBANY, Ind. (WISH) — An Albany man was sentenced to 70 years in prison after being convicted for slaying his neighbor by shooting him several times with a shotgun in 2022.
Cy Alley, 30, was found guilty of murder and using a firearm during the commission of the murder in September.
Court documents say that on Aug. 23, 2022, Alley shot his 59-year-old neighbor, Gary Copley, in his driveway four times with a 12-gauge shotgun. Witnesses told investigators that they saw Alley shoot Copley before getting back into his truck and driving away at a high rate of speed.
Copley was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Alley was later taken into custody without incident. During a search, officers found an unspent 12 gauge shotgun shell in Alley’s pocket, which was similar to the shells found at the scene.
When officers questioned Alley, court documents say he told investigators that “he (was) having trouble with his electricity at his house, and he assumed that (Copley) was hacking into his network.”
Copley told investigators he went to confront Copley, which led to the shooting.
Court documents include that Allen “was not remorseful for his actions” and shot Copley with the intent to kill.
During Alley’s trial, he claimed the shooting was self-defense and also claimed insanity. The jury ultimately rejected those defenses. In total, the Delaware County jury deliberated for 20 minutes before convicting Alley of murder.
Alley was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison, with an additional 10 years for using a firearm to kill Copley.