A father accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife and her new partner as they slept in their multi-million dollar Long Island mansion had expressed his hatred of gendered pronouns in a MAGA-fueled tirade just hours earlier.
Daniel Coppola, 50, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of two counts of murder after Kelly Coppola, also 50, and her partner of nearly two years, Kenneth Pohlman, 53, were found dead in their St. James home shortly before midnight Wednesday.
On Friday morning, DailyMail.com obtained the first photos of Coppola after his arrest. He was led out of jail to appear in court, wearing socks and no shoes, and with a small wound on his forehead.
He was later charged with two counts of second-degree murder at his arraignment and is being held without bail. He is on suicide watch and faces 50 years to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Coppola, a father of one, lost his temper on Facebook hours before the alleged murders, complaining about the use of gender markers in email signatures.
“Maybe I should put ‘trump/him’ in my signature,” he wrote, followed by the hashtag “#MAGA2024.”
Daniel Coppola, 50, was arrested Thursday on two counts of murder
The father of one of them lost his temper on Facebook hours before the alleged murders, complaining about the use of gender characteristics in email signatures
“He/she her/him what a bunch of f***ing lunatics if I need this in a business email. I don’t give a fuck about your sexual orientation, why do I need this in your signature??? Do your job as a man.woman, trans etc.,” Coppola said in the lengthy tirade.
I’m done with this shit and I fuck anyone who thinks this. [sic] normally can’t wait for the backlash from this. I’m done biting [sic] my goddamn tongue. Grow up, you attention-seeking assholes.’
Coppola said he had a conversation with a “very good friend” who asked him why it bothered him so much. He had argued that it “goes against my core values.”
The post initially received several sympathetic responses from friends who agreed with him. Since news of his alleged crimes spread, the post has been flooded with strangers sharing tributes to Kelly and Kenneth.
According to police, Coppola called his 15-year-old daughter, who was in the house with her mother, on Wednesday to warn her to leave the house.
“The daughter was in the house and he reached out to her and told her to get out of the house,” Detective Lt. Kevin Breyer said at a news conference Thursday.
Kelly Coppola, 50, and her partner of nearly two years, Kenneth Pohlman, 53, were found dead in their home shortly before midnight on Wednesday
On Friday morning, DailyMail.com obtained the first photos of Coppola since his arrest
Coppola was scheduled to appear in court on Friday
Coppola and his ex-wife (pictured together) are believed to have recently gone through a bitter divorce
‘He picked the girl up, put her in his car, committed the murders, drove her away… While he was driving her, she was texting friends and saying, ‘I don’t know what my dad did. I don’t know about my mom.’
“They’re trying to get in touch with the mother, but they can’t. They’re calling 911,” he said.
Coppola was arrested and reportedly held for psychiatric evaluation after expressing suicidal thoughts.
The alleged perpetrator and his ex-wife had recently gone through a bitter divorce.
Kelly Coppola and Pohlman shared a $1.1 million, six-bedroom, four-bathroom home in affluent Suffolk County. They had been dating for more than a year, friends said.
Pohlman reportedly had three children and their mother died of cancer.
The couple had recently been on vacation with their blended family and celebrated Kelly’s 50th birthday with friends.
Breyer described it as a “tragic incident.”
“Kenny was a good friend of my ex-husband and he was one of the nicest people you could ever meet,” a friend said after his death.
The alleged victims shared a $1.1 million, six-bedroom, four-bathroom home in affluent Suffolk County
Kenneth Pohlman, 53, was shot dead next to his partner in their home as they lay in bed, police said