Musician guilty in slayingr

Jenna Bordelon

PASADENA -- Andrew Camarata was a nice guy.

He was the kind of person who talked incessantly of his dead wife, and

a man who had his prostate removed because it was riddled with cancer.

His dream was to build his home in Las Vegas and play a little golf.

He never got the chance because less than a year before he was

scheduled to retire, Camarata, 63, of La Crescenta, was shot June 12 in

Burbank by a man convicted Friday of the first-degree murder.

Stephen Kopy, 64, of North Hills, stared straight ahead as family

members sobbing in the courtroom listened to the guilty verdict being

read. But when asked if a March date would be acceptable for his

sentencing, the tension became too great.

“It doesn’t matter what the [expletive] day it is,” Kopy said.

“Whatever you want to do, your Honor.”

The Pasadena Superior Court jury deliberated for four days before

convicting Kopy on three charges, including one count of first-degree

murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

A special allegation of great bodily injury and death were added to

the charge of murder.

Sentencing was scheduled for March 12. Judge Teri Schwartz could give

Kopy a life sentence.

Family members made a plea to the prosecutor and defense attorney not

to schedule the sentencing for March 9.

Kopy turns 65 that day.

“He’s not a bad guy,” brother-in-law Al Schroeder said. “To me, it was

a crime-of-passion thing, and it got led down the wrong trail.”

Kopy traveled that path believing his 61-year-old wife, Martha, and

Camarata were carrying on a torrid love affair behind his back.

Martha Kopy, who was not in court Friday, has denied any wrongdoing.

Kopy was arrested June 12 at Aramark Uniform Services in Burbank on

suspicion of killing Camarata by shooting him twice, once in the abdomen

and once in the groin.

Camarata died minutes later as a result of his wounds.

Prosecutor Jeffrey Jonas said the jury saw through a smoke screen of

manslaughter created by Kopy’s attorney to deliver the right verdict.

“Did you see him [Kopy] respond to the verdict?” Jonas asked. “Zippo.

He doesn’t care that he killed this man.”

Jonas added that the two gunshots in Camarata plus the two live rounds

found on the Aramark office floor swayed the jury in the direction of

premeditation.

Defense attorney Vincent Oliver plans to appeal.

Camarata’s killing was the only one in Burbank in 2000.

CRIME AND JUSTICE -- A TIMELINE OF EVENTS

* February 2000: Stephen Kopy records alleged first phone call between

Martha Kopy and Andrew Camarata.

* May 2000: Diane Kopy has phone conversation with father in which he

allegedly says, “I’m going to kill a big bug.”

* June 8, 2000: Kopy follows his wife on alleged rendezvouswith

Camarata.

* June 12, 2000: Camarata shot and killed.

* Feb. 2, 2001: Kopy convicted of first-degree murder.