A man fatally shot his ex-wife and her new boyfriend late Wednesday night in her home while his daughter sat in his car outside, according to Suffolk County police.
Daniel Coppola, 50, is accused of killing his ex-wife, Kelly Coppola, 50, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Pohlman, 53, at their shared home on in St. James, police said in a press release.
Authorities revealed that Daniel and Kelly Coppola had recently undergone a contentious divorce, leaving them with a 15-year-old daughter they shared custody of.
On Wednesday night, Coppola arrived at the Brasswood Road residence where his ex-wife, Pohlman, and his daughter were present, police said. He reportedly persuaded his daughter to leave the home with him.
“He went to the house, picked up his daughter, put her in his car, then committed the murders before driving her to Harbor Road,” Suffolk County police officer Kevin Beyrer stated during a Thursday press conference.
“As they drove, the girl was texting her friends, saying, ‘I don’t know what my father did. I don’t know what happened to my mother,’” Beyrer added.
Concerned friends tried to reach Kelly Coppola and called 911 after failing to get in touch with her. When officers arrived at the scene, they found both Kelly Coppola and Kenneth Pohlman dead from gunshot wounds.
The daughter also contacted police, stating that her father had threatened to kill himself. Officers apprehended Coppola on Harbor Road in Head of Harbor around 11:45 p.m.
Coppola was taken in for a mental health evaluation and was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, according to authorities.
Police clarified that the divorce had already been finalized and the attack was not related to any custody dispute.
Photo: Residence in St. James where double murder too place, according to police. Google Maps.
