A St. James man was indicted on charges of shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend at their home.
Late in the evening of August 28, Daniel Coppola sent text messages to an uninvolved witness located at a residence on Brasswood Road in St. James, in order to allegedly draw the witness out of the home. When the witness went outside, Coppola allegedly asked the witness where Kenneth Pohlman, Jr.’s bedroom was located.
Shortly afterwards, Coppola left the witness sitting in his 2021 Toyota Tundra vehicle while he walked up to the entrance of the home. Once there, he allegedly fired a black semi-automatic handgun at the keypad and front door, then forcibly entered the residence.
Coppola then allegedly fatally shot Pohlman and Kelly Coppola at the upstairs hallway of the home, then fled the scene with the uninvolved witness in his vehicle. Coppola took the witness back to his home on Harbor Road, also in St. James, approximately three miles from the scene. Once back at Daniel Coppola’s home, the witness observed him taking a black handgun and putting it on his desk while making suicidal threats. Shortly thereafter, the witness hid the handgun from the defendant and called 911.
When responding police officers arrived at Daniel Coppola’s home, they promptly placed him into custody for his own personal safety. The witness at scene directed the officers to the black semi-automatic handgun that had been earlier hidden. After further investigation, Suffolk County police were also dispatched to the Brasswood Road address, where they found visible damage to the front door that had been forced open and the couple who died of gunshot wounds. The investigation also found that, while Daniel Coppola left the scene, he did so in haste, leaving behind his sandals, one of which was found underneath Pohlman’s body.
On September 6, Daniel Coppola was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr., for four counts of first-degree murder, all Class A-I felonies.
Senft ordered Daniel Coppola remanded during the pendency of the case. Coppola is due back in court on September 24 and faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted on the top count.
“The defendant allegedly drove to his ex-wife’s home and fatally shot his ex-wife and her boyfriend in cold blood,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Our office takes all allegations of domestic violence seriously and we are committed to bringing justice to Kelly Coppola, Kenneth Pohlman and their loved ones. While we cannot bring Kenneth and Kelly back, we can hold this defendant responsible for his alleged actions.”