It’s been more than two years since two Napa women were stabbed to death in the upstairs bedrooms of a west Napa home, and the court case against accused murderer Eric Copple is beginning to heat up.
The brutal stabbings of Adriane Insogna and Leslie Mazzara, both 26, in the early morning hours of Nov. 1, 2004, shocked and frightened Napa Valley residents. It took nearly a year, and a nationwide search for clues, before police made an arrest. On the night of Sept. 28, 2005, Eric Matthew Copple, 26, of Napa, accompanied by members of his family, turned himself into the Napa Police Department. Police say he confessed to killing the two women in their home on the 2600 block of Dorset Street.
Copple was arrested booked into the Napa County jail charged with two counts of murder and special allegations of use of a deadly weapon and multiple victims. He pleaded not guilty in October 2005.
Copple is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. At that time the Napa County District Attorney’s Office may announce if prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Copple. If they do, they will have to prove at trial not only that Copple is guilty of murder, but that the crime involved a special circumstance — in this case double murder or lying in wait for his victims — that would qualify the crime for capital punishment.
If prosecutors were to seek the death penalty against Copple and prevail, he would be the only Napa County inmate assigned to California’s death row. However, there have been cases where Napa prosecutors have sought the death penalty (see sidebar, “Napa’s history with capital crimes,” below).
Police say Copple waited outside the home for hours before entering, going upstairs, and killing the two women.
The motive for the double slayings has not been made public. Copple is the husband of Lilly Prudhomme Copple, who was close friends with Insogna.
Lilly Copple is employed at the Napa Sanitation District, where Insogna worked as an civil engineer.
Insogna’s mother, Calistoga resident Arleen Allen, said her daughter also was friends with Eric Copple.
Although the case remained stagnant for almost a year, detectives actively pursued leads, tested the DNA of people known to the victims and conducted interviews. The break in the investigation came in late September 2005, when Napa police released new DNA findings.
DNA samples found on Camel Turkish Gold cigarettes matched that of blood found at the scene of the murder. Copple smoked that brand of cigarettes. Investigators said they believed Copple read or heard about the DNA findings, believed that police were closing in on him and turned himself in.
After he was arrested, detectives took a sample of Copple’s DNA, which apparently matched the DNA found on the cigarette butts.
Mark Boessenecker, Napa County chief deputy district attorney, and deputy district attorney Rob Wade are prosecuting the case. Both have experience in murder cases. Boessenecker tried many such cases before shifting from the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office to Napa. Wade wrapped up his most recent murder trial just weeks ago, earning a first-degree murder conviction against Napa dentist Michael Posey.
Copple is being represented by Napa County Public Defender Greg Galeste and Vallejo attorney Amy Morton.
I say that if found guilty? Yes, he should be sentenced to death. Two worries I have is that his death sentence will be dragged out forever instead of letting there be closure. And second in some ways I wish the hangman’s noose was still working downtown (Napa was the scene of the last hanging in California)
Tags: Interesting, Local, Napa, News
As much as I would love to see this murderous monster die with a needle in his arm, I think a far better punishment will be confinement in a 6 by 9 foot cell for the rest of his life, thinking every day about the two lives of innocent people he brutally stole. People worth a thousand times more than him.
His sentence of life without is fitting. I hope he dies alone in a prison cell.
what he did was brutal-no words really to describe-but yet i pray that he finds forgiveness by excepting the lord jesus as his savior and repents of his sins.because jesus died for even the most vilest sinners his blood will wash away all sins if only he will believe the love of the truth!
First of all…my prayers go out to the family and friends of Adriane and Leslie. I can’t begin to wrap my mind around what happened. I agree with Charles Barnes….there is forgiveness. We must forgive because by grace, we have all been forgiven. That doesn’t mean there are no consequences. We live in a sinful world and this was so horrifying. I watched 48 Hours, in which this story was featured. My heart broke as I watched the horror unfold. I also pray for Eric’s wife, Lily. I hope she has found some peace.
I used to live in Napa. It’s a filthy little crap hole.
I went to high school with the OTHER recent murderer from Napa – Tony Becerra. Both of them deserve to die. But the DA in both cases was too much of a pussy to see to it in both cases. Screw both of them. They should both die.
End of discussion.
I am from England where we don’t have the death penalty although I (and millions of others) wish we did. This was a truly shocking and horrendous murder in which two young, innocent women tried to protect themselves and each other from this frenzied monster. I cannot even begin to imagine what utter fear and agony they endured in the last minutes of their lives. Please don’t have any sympathy for the sick individual who did this. Why keep him for 30+ years in a maximum security prison? What on earth is the point?
I just saw this case being presented on tlc and looking at this piece of garbage crying before getting sentenced made me sick. I only hope that he gets a cell mate who disposes of this piece of trash as soon as possible. He should be in hell where he belongs not prison living off taxpayers.
Not only am I disgusted by Eric Copple’s actions but more than that are the actions of his wife Lilly. She was very close friends with one of the victims and before she found out it was her husband that did the killing, she was all for finding this guy and putting the hurt on him. Now, right before her husband is sentenced and impact statements are being given in court, she has the nerve to stand up and say, “Eric, I love you now as much as I ever have and ever will”. Is that a humongous slap in the face to the victims and their families? Adriene Insogna’s mom was devastated by her comments since Lilly had been close friends with Adriene for years. Personally, it would take every ounce of strength I have to keep me from kicking Lilly’s ass across that courtroom.