Napa resident Eric Copple pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to two counts of first degree murder in the Nov. 1, 2004, slayings of Adriane Insogna and Leslie Ann Mazzara in a west Napa home.
Copple, 27, agreed to a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole at a Napa County Superior Court hearing, and waived his rights of appeal.
The case drew national attention in 2004, after the bodies of Insogna and Mazzara were found in their bedrooms of a rented home on Dorset St. in quiet west Napa.
Insogna, a Napa Valley native, worked for the Napa Sanitation District at the time of her death. Mazzara, a native of South Carolina who had only recently moved to California at the time of the slayings, worked for the Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery, now known as Rubicon Estate.
A nationwide search for suspects, including DNA testing of dozens of people who were believed to know one or both of the victims, proved fruitless. But in 2005, the Napa Police Department released information that DNA matching blood at the scene of the crime matched the DNA found on cigarette butts outside the home. The butts were from an unusual brand, Camel Turkish Blend.
In September 2005, shortly after the revelation, Copple, a Napa resident and Vintage High School graduate, turned himself in to police.
Copple’s wife, Lily Prudhomme Copple, was a close of friend of Insogna.
No weapon has been discovered, but law enforcement authorities say Copple has told them that he threw away the weapon and burned the clothes he wore on the night of the crime.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Copple has agreed that he cannot challenge his prison sentence under any circumstances. Earlier this week, Napa Police Chief Richard Melton said no one has come forward to claim a $100,000 reward posted by community members in 2004 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.
I’d say this was lenient. But at least it was a quick trial. And there won’t be the tons of trials and appeals. I’m not sure there is complete closure. But at least he isn’t walking and it’s not being drawn out, hurting everyone. I’m just glad he reversed his earlier actions.
[...] I recently wrote about Eric Copple having been found guilty (after admitting it) and getting life. But on that night he killed two women, there was a woman downstairs that escaped… and still lives with that night on her mind. Below is her story. Woman who survived night of murders still seeking perspective, peace [...]
[...] Eric Copple killed a friend of my sister and another girl a previous Halloween and he was arrested in May for the murder. July they arraigned Copple (he pleaded Not Guilty) and I mentioned that CBS/48 Hours had contacted me wanting to interview me (I barely knew the girls if at all) or my sister (she didn’t want to be involved). The next day Eric Copple went to court again, reiterating that he wasn’t guilty. and I later posted about how in a number of ways I hoped he would get death as it was debated on what type of sentence they would try for. Finally at the beginning of December he plea bargained Guilty for Life in Prison. The last article I wrote about that whole sordid story was a follow up about how the one girl/lady who survived has been doing. [...]