A 44-year-old homeless man was indicted for murder by an Oahu grand jury this morning in connection with the shooting death of his 50-year-old girlfriend.

Gibran K. Copeland was arrested Friday near a tent he was living in at a homeless encampment at 1215 Hunakai St. and charged with murder in the second degree and use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony in connection with the death of Christina Baca, 50, who also was homeless.

He is being held without bail at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

Baca and Copeland dated for about one to two years before her decomposing body was found in a storm drain in Manoa Sept. 13

“This tragic case is a reminder of the need to address domestic violence in our community,” said Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm in a statement. “These acts of violence have no place in Hawaiʻi and we will do everything to secure a conviction in this case.”

Copeland faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole and faces extended sentencing as “a multiple offender which would carry a sentence of life without parole,” according to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dwane Tegman is handling the case.

If you or someone you know is impacted by domestic violence, you can call the Domestic Violence Action Center at 808-531-3771 or DVAC toll-free helpline at 800-690-6200.

In August, Baca told a witness that “her boyfriend and/or her boyfriend’s friends were going to kill her and that she was being followed by them,” according to state court records.

The witness told police he ignored her because he thought she was on drugs or drinking and was prone to paranoia.