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Long Beach resident Jennifer Gross pleaded guilty on Thursday, March 12 to first-degree manslaughter for her role in a murder in Centre Island in November 2018, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.
Singas announced on Thursday, Aug. 20 that Gross has been sentenced to 22 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision following her guilty plea.
Singas said that between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2018, Gross went to the home of 75-year-old James Coppola in Centre Island, demanding money. When Coppola refused, Gross attacked him, beating him with an object from the home, repeatedly striking his head and body until he was dead.
When she realized she had killed Coppola, Gross set the house on fire in an attempt to cover the murder, but not before stealing jewelry from her victim.
According to Singas, the two had a romantic relationship that lasted two decades. She was reportedly his mistress, and at the time of the murder, he had an active Order of Protection against her.
“This case represents the violent end of an off and on relationship that included police-involvement, money, and arguments back and forth over the years,” Singas said. “It was revealed through the excellent investigative work of the Nassau County Police Department and my office that James Coppola was killed in a fit of rage when a demand for money was not met.
"That rage was followed by calculated efforts to cover up the killing and theft by fire. This sentence holds the defendant responsible for her actions and seeks to provide justice to the Coppola family.”
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