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.
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