S.C. man sentenced to 3 decades for fatally beating mother because he needed drug money
01/26/2023 1:01 pm PST
CONWAY, S.C. (TCD) -- A 31-year-old man recently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three decades in prison for the 2021 beating death of his 54-year-old mother.
On Oct. 29, 2021, Horry County Police officers responded to a home on Little River Inn Lane and discovered Amy Kopacz deceased from an assault, according to the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office.
Arrest warrants for murder and theft were obtained for the victim's son, Colby Kopacz, who reportedly stole his mother's 2017 Chevrolet Malibu and some of her other personal belongings, the Myrtle Beach Post and Courier reports.
The next month, on Nov. 24, 2021, the son was arrested in Florida, and he confessed to authorities that he had hit his mother in the head multiple times, the Solicitor's Office said.
According to the Myrtle Beach Post and Courier, leading up to the fatal beating, prosecutors allege that Colby Kopacz and his mother were arguing because he needed drug money.
On Monday, Jan. 23, the Solicitor's Office said Kopacz pleaded guilty and was officially sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole.
The suspect's sisters were reportedly at the hearing.
In a statement, Josh Holford, the senior assistant solicitor who prosecuted the case, said, "I echo the family member’s sentiments shared in court: no sentence is ever enough to replace the life of a loved one, but hopefully this quick resolution without having to re-live the trauma during a trial is a step towards healing."
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