Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney has announced that Albert Coppedge, 49, of Coram, was indicted for Murder in the Second Degree and Robbery in the First Degree for allegedly beating his landlord, Kenneth Mitchell, 62, to death with a dumbbell and stealing money from his wallet afterwards.
“The alleged actions of this defendant were vicious, brutal, and senseless,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We will do everything in our power to seek justice for Kenneth Mitchell.”
According to the police investigation, on December 6, 2020, shortly after 11 a.m., multiple eyewitnesses allegedly saw Coppedge and his landlord, Kenneth Mitchell, engaged in a verbal altercation in the backyard of their home, located in Coram. Coppedge was later allegedly seen wielding a dumbbell and then repeatedly striking Mitchell in the head while Mitchell was heard pleading for Coppedge to stop hitting him. Coppedge allegedly then took Mitchell’s wallet and removed a large sum of cash before fleeing the property. Mitchell was taken to Long Island Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Several hours after the attack, Coppedge returned to the scene where he encountered law enforcement and was placed under arrest.
On July 10, 2023, Coppedge was arraigned on the indictment by Acting Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Steven A. Pilewski, for two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, Class A violent felonies, and two counts of Robbery in the First Degree, Class B violent felonies.
Justice Pilewski ordered Coppedge to be held without bail during the pendency of the case. Coppedge is being represented by Christopher Brocato, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Dena Rizopoulos of the Homicide Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Scott Aquilino of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.