Daniel Coppola, St. James defendant charged with first-degree murder in killings of ex-wife and her boyfriend, pleads not guilty from a hospital bed

The St. James man accused in a double homicide and who injured himself while under suicide watch at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility underwent surgery this week for a spinal cord injury, his attorneys said following his bedside arraignment at Stony Brook University Hospital on Friday.

Attorneys John Halverson and Steve Politi declined to comment when asked if Daniel Coppola, 50, suffered paralysis resulting from his suicide attempt Monday at the Suffolk jail. Politi said Coppola’s legal team is planning to meet with neurosurgeons to discuss Coppola’s prognosis. 

"The extent of that, we are trying to determine with doctors and our client," Politi said.

Coppola, accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife Kelly Coppola and her boyfriend, Kenneth Pohlman Jr., on Aug. 28, pleaded not guilty Friday to four counts of first-degree murder.

Stony Brook University Hospital officials barred the media from attending the hearing.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft ordered Coppola to be held without bail, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. Two of the upgraded charges are directly linked to the deaths of Kelly Coppola, 50, and Pohlman, 53. The other two allege that the victims died while Coppola was committing another crime — in this case, second-degree burglary.

"They presented the case to a grand jury and the grand jury voted to indict him on these four charges," Politi said. "We’ll address all of them at the appropriate time. Obviously, the government is only giving you facts that are beneficial to them. Our job is going to be to get all the facts and present the facts that are beneficial to Danny."

Coppola had previously been charged with two counts of second-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty to those charges last week. Coppola is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 24. He faces up to life in prison, with no chance of parole, if convicted.

"Our office takes all allegations of domestic violence seriously and we are committed to bringing justice" to Kelly Coppola, Pohlman and their loved ones, Tierney said. "While we cannot bring Kenneth and Kelly back, we can hold this defendant responsible for his alleged actions."

Coppola was injured Monday in an intentional fall while on suicide watch, multiple sources told Newsday this week. Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.’s office confirmed that an inmate was injured during a self-inflicted incident but declined to identify the inmate.

Suffolk officials have not explained how an inmate on suicide watch was able to injure himself. Halverson and Politi said they had seen no evidence of negligence or misconduct by officers.

"That will be part of our discovery and that will be part of the case going forward," Halverson said. "Right now, we can’t comment."

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Vicki DiStefano told Newsday earlier this week that correction officers acted appropriately during the incident and that the agency had not changed policies or procedures as a result of the suicide attempt. Lou Viscusi, president of the Suffolk County Correction Officers Association, also said his members acted appropriately.

Halverson said the defense team is aware that prosecutors have said Coppola admitted his guilt in statements to his daughter and police officers, but have not received evidence to bolster the allegation.

"We have yet to receive discovery and we can’t comment on anything we have not seen," Halverson said.

A spokeswoman for the New York State Commission of Correction told Newsday earlier this week that Suffolk jail officials had reported the suicide attempt and the incident was under review.

Suffolk police said that Coppola texted his daughter — who was staying with his ex-wife and Pohlman in their home on Brasswood Road in St. James — and beckoned her to come out of the house shortly before midnight on Aug. 28.

Coppola then shot his way through the lock on the front door and went upstairs, where he "ambushed and executed" the couple in the hallway, authorities have said.

"The investigation also found that while the defendant left the scene, he did so in haste, leaving behind his sandals, one of which was found underneath Pohlman’s body," Tierney's statement said.