Daniel Coppola, 50, has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting his ex-wife and her boyfriend in their St. James, Long Island home while his teenage daughter waited in a car outside.
On August 28, Coppola reportedly broke into the home of Kelly Coppola, 50, and her partner Kenneth Pohlman, 53, at approximately 11:30 p.m. Police reports indicate that Coppola had instructed his 15-year-old daughter to leave the residence before the shootings. The daughter texted her friends, saying, “I don’t know what my father did. I don’t know how my mother is,” which led to a 911 call. Via CBS
When police arrived, they found Kelly and Kenneth deceased from gunshot wounds. The Suffolk County Police Department confirmed that Coppola was identified as the suspect.
Coppola was arrested at his Head of the Harbor home. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
There was no active restraining order against him, although police had previously responded to disputes between him and Kelly. Following his arrest, Coppola made suicidal statements, leading to a mental health evaluation.
Detective Lt. Kevin Beyrer stated, “He reached out to her, told her to get out of the house. He then went into the house and committed these murders.”
At first, the teen didn’t know what her father had done as she sat in the car with him, according to Beyrer. But as they drove his home a few miles away, she put out a cry for help. Beyrer added, “She is communicating with friends via text saying, ‘I don’t know what my father did. I don’t know how my mother is.’” This text communication resulted in the 911 call. According to WNBC
Kenneth Pohlman’s brother, Tom, described the incident as involving forced entry and multiple gunshots. Tom said, “My brother made [Daniel’s] ex-wife happy and he was not happy about that… When they first started dating a year ago, there were numerous threats.” Tom also noted, “She brought the best out of him, he brought the best out of her. They were very happy.
Kenneth’s other brother, John, said, “I wasn’t known as John Pohlman growing up, I was ‘little Kenny Pohlman’s brother.’ He would give you the shirt off his back.” Kenneth was a father of three.
