Man Accused in Office Slaying Suspected Affair With Wife, Police Say

A 64-year-old accordion player ran through a Burbank office and allegedly shot and killed a 63-year-old employee who he suspected was having an affair with his wife, authorities said Tuesday.

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

Police said the victim and Martha Kopy, 61, worked together. During an interview with investigators, she referred to Camarata as a friend, police said. 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 a waiting area, where her husband told her he had a gun, police said. The two wrestled for control of the firearm and, when another worker left through a door accessible only with an employee identification card, Kopy darted into the office, Reilman said.

Kopy made his way through the office, concealing the semiautomatic handgun and asking employees where he could find Camarata, according to authorities. When employees pointed Kopy in the right direction, he confronted the victim and fired two shots, Reilman said.

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

Kopy, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, will be arraigned today in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Burbank.

Camarata had worked at Aramark since August 1997 and 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,” a spokesman said. “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 is a struggling musician who plays accordion and electronic keyboards, friends said. Although Kopy was busy as a studio musician in the 1960s and 1970s, they said, jobs had recently become scarce. 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 had a strained relationship that may have been compounded by Stephen Kopy’s unemployment.

“I know she had voiced unhappiness with her marriage,” said Jean Schneider, who has served with Martha Kopy on the board of a business organization. “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.”

Family members declined to comment Tuesday.

One friend said Martha Kopy told her earlier this year that she was planning to file for divorce. Court records show no petition has been filed.

“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.”