Bellflower Woman, 62, Found Guilty Of Murdering 90-Year-Old Father In 2008
BELLFLOWER (CBSLA.com) — A 62-year-old woman was found guilty Friday of the second-degree murder of her 90-year-old father in Bellflower six years ago.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced that Linda Sue Copeland was guilty of murdering Ralph Stofleth.
The jury deliberated for three days.
Copeland faces up to 15 years to life in prison when she's sentenced Jan. 9 in Department G of the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Norwalk.
The DA said Copeland killed Stofleth sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, 2008. His body, covered with sheets and cardboard, was found three months later partially buried near a shed in the back yard of the home Copeland shared with her father.
Neighbors called authorities after they realized they had not seen Stofleth for three months.
Deputy District Attorney Tina Hooks said evidence presented at trial showed Copeland continued to collect her father's retirement benefits even after she murdered him.