N.Y. Man Allegedly Killed Ex-Wife and Her Boyfriend While His Teen Daughter Sat in Car Outside

Mar. 15, 2025

Kelly Coppola (L) and Kenneth Pohlman.Photo:Kelly Coppola/Facebook; Kenny Pohlman/Facebook

Kelly Coppola/Facebook; Kenny Pohlman/Facebook

A man from New York is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting his ex-wife and her boyfriend dead while the divorced couple’s teenage daughter sat in the car outside.

On Wednesday, Aug. 28, Daniel Coppola, 50, entered ex Kelly Coppola and her partner Kenneth Pohlman’s Saint James, Long Island home before shooting and killing them, according to police.

Multiple outlets, includingWABC,WNBC, andCBS News, reported details of the incident.

Per WNBC, the incident occurred at the victims' Brasswood Road home around 11:30 p.m. local time, after the suspect had called his daughter and told her not to be in the house, according to police.

Per CBS News, police said Daniel put the 15-year-old in his car, before allegedly killing Kelly, 50, and Kenneth, 53. He then allegedly drove himself and his daughter back to his Head of the Harbor home.

Suffolk County Police Detective Lieutenant Kevin Beyrer said, according to WNBC, “He reached out to her, told her to get out of the house. He then went into the house and committed these murders.”

“She is communicating with friends via text saying ‘I don’t know what my father did. I don’t know how my mother is,’ " Beyrer added of the teen’s actions as her father drove her to his home, per the outlet.

The Brasswood Road property where the murders took place.Eyewitness News ABC7NY/Youtube

Eyewitness News ABC7NY/Youtube

According to Suffolk County PD, Daniel has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.

The 15-year-old’s friends then rang 911 at around 11:54 p.m. after not being able to get in touch with the teenager’s mother, per the outlet. The outlet stated the friends told police that the former couple’s daughter had left her mother’s home, with her father, without her mom knowing.

Police then arrived at the Brasswood Road property and found Kelly and Kenneth’s bodies inside.

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Kenneth’s brother, Tom Pohlman, said of the alleged shooting, per WNBC, “Two bullets into the door to get into the house and then multiple bullets upstairs.”

Tom alleged of Daniel, “He was a jealous ex-husband. 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, there were numerous threats.”

“She brought the best out of him, he brought the best out of her. They were very happy,” he added, per the outlet.

Kenneth’s other brother, John, told ABC7NY’S Eyewitness News, “I wasn’t known as John Pohlman growing up, I was ‘little Kenny Pohlman’s brother,’ that’s what I was known as. He would give you the shirt off his back.”

Per CBS News, Kenneth was a father of three. “Two of his children had their mother taken from them 17 years ago from cancer. Today, this maniac took their father from them. He has another child who also lost their father,” Tom Pohlman said, according to the outlet.

source: people.com