A man has been charged with the murder of his ex-wife and her boyfriend, and reportedly spoke just six words to his daughter after the alleged crime.
On Wednesday, August 28, Daniel Coppola allegedly entered the home of Kenneth Pohlman, 53, who was in a relationship with his ex-wife, Kelly Coppola, 50, and killed them.
Reports by The New York Post indicate that the couple were asleep when they were fatally shot, as per police sources.
During the incident, Coppola’s 15-year-old daughter, whom he had with his ex-wife, was reportedly in his car outside the home. He allegedly instructed her to stay in the vehicle.
Kenneth Pohlman Sr., Pohlman’s father, told reporters that after the alleged act, Coppola returned to his car and said to his daughter: “I killed your mother and Kenny.”
Coppola then fled the scene with his daughter in the car. The girl frantically texted her friends, expressing concerns about her mother, police reported.
Kevin Beyrer, commanding officer of the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad, stated to CBS: “As he’s driving her, she is communicating with friends via text saying, I don’t know what my father did, I don’t know how my mother is.”
Her friends attempted to contact her mother but called 911 when they couldn’t reach her.
At 11:45 pm that night, police received a call from a teenage girl stating that her father was threatening to kill himself with a gun, Beyrer said.
Shortly after, another call came in from someone reporting that a 15-year-old girl had left her mother’s home with her father without the mother’s knowledge.
Officers soon connected the two calls, as ABC 7 reports, and arrived at Pohlman’s home at 11:54 pm to find both him and Kelly deceased.
Coppola and his ex-wife had finalized what police describe as a ‘contentious divorce’ in recent years.
Pohlman’s family described Coppola as a ‘maniac.’ Tom Pohlman, Kenneth’s brother, mentioned that their late sister-in-law had died of cancer.
He told ABC 7: “Two of his children had their mother taken from them 17 years ago from cancer.”
Referring to Coppola, he added: “Today, this maniac took their father from them.”
According to Pohlman’s father, he and Kelly were very happy together.
“Kelly brought the best out of him and he brought the best out of her. They were very happy,” he mentioned.
It is unclear how long the couple had been together.
Following their deaths, Coppola has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
After his arrest, the 50-year-old underwent a mental evaluation due to his suicidal remarks.
The 15-year-old is with family members, CBS reports.