Homicide Victim, Suspect’s Wife Were Just Friends, Police Say

A 64-year-old accordion player who raced through a Burbank office and allegedly shot and killed a 63-year-old employee may have suspected his estranged wife was having an affair with her co-worker, police said Tuesday.

Burbank police said Stephen Kopy of North Hills, searching for an employee, stormed through the office late Monday where his wife, Martha, worked. Kopy found the man, Andrew John Camarata of La Crescenta, sitting in his office. Kopy fired three shots, striking Camarata twice in the chest and once in the head, Sgt. Frank Reilman said.

Camarata later died at a nearby hospital, and Kopy was arrested on suspicion of homicide.

Police said the victim and Martha Kopy, 61, worked together, but during an interview with investigators she referred to Camarata only as a friend. Her husband’s suspicions--that she and the victim were romantically involved--were unfounded, Reilman said.

“She denied ever having an affair with the victim,” Reilman said. “You might say the suspect’s actions resemble a jealous rage, but we are still investigating why he shot the victim.”

Police said Kopy arrived shortly before 3:30 p.m. at Aramark Uniform Services in downtown Burbank. He went to the third floor and asked the receptionist to locate his wife. Martha Kopy came to the waiting area where her husband told her he had a gun, police said. The couple wrestled over control of the firearm and, when another employee exited through a door accessible only with an employee identification card, Stephen Kopy darted inside, Reilman said.

Kopy jogged through the office, concealing the semiautomatic handgun and asking employees where he might find Camarata, according to authorities. After employees pointed Kopy in the right direction, he confronted Camarata and fired two shots, Reilman said.

Responding to the emergency call placed by the receptionist, police arrived minutes later. Kopy, who was hiding in the victim’s office, fired another shot. He then placed his gun on a cabinet and surrendered, police said.

Kopy will be arraigned at 10 a.m. today in Los Angeles Superior Court in Burbank.

Camarata had worked since August 1997 at Aramark, where he was vice president of operations and support for the company’s uniform division.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our employees,” said Aramark spokesman Chris Hardwick. “The incident was not directed at the company, but appears to have involved a domestic dispute between an employee and her husband. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.”

Kopy was a struggling musician who played accordion and electronic keyboards, friends said. Although he was busy in the studio during the 1960s and 1970s, friends said jobs had been scarce recently. A longtime member of the local chapter of the American Federation of Musicians, Kopy hadn’t worked since 1995, a union spokesman said.

According to friends, the couple--married for 36 years--had a strained relationship that may have been compounded by Kopy’s unemployment.

“I know she had voiced unhappiness with her marriage,” said Jean Schneider, who sat on the board of a business organization with Kopy. “She wasn’t a happy camper and she was dissatisfied with her husband. As he got older there was less and less work for him as a musician.”

When contacted Tuesday, family members declined to comment about the shooting.

One friend said Martha Kopy told her earlier this year that she was planning to file for divorce. Court records show no filings made by either party.

“I knew she felt very committed to her marriage and tried to help him out,” said friend Laurie Beerman. “This has been an incredible tragedy. I can’t imagine anything worse than this.”

Neighbor Peggy Skomal can’t comprehend that the alleged gunman is the same person who took care of her pets while she was on vacation. Skomal, also a musician, said Kopy never exhibited a violent streak.

“I can’t believe he was out to do harm to someone,” she said. “Whatever the reason is for this, he must have felt it was very serious. He must have snapped or something.”