PITT COUNTY, N.C. (TCN) — A 37-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder for beating his girlfriend to death with a curtain rod in 2022.
According to a press release from the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office, friends and family members of 39-year-old Samantha Coppola called the police and requested a welfare check on Oct. 17, 2022, after they became concerned when they hadn’t heard from her for several days.
Her remains were found concealed in the home she shared with her boyfriend, Robert Edward Rathmann. Authorities believe Coppola had been dead for several days, and there was evidence of a cleanup at the scene. Law & Crime reports she had been bludgeoned to death with a curtain rod.
Rathmann was already in custody for an alleged burglary committed on Oct. 13, 2022, when he was charged with murder in connection with Coppola’s death, according to WCTI. Coppola’s family said she had recently begun dating Rathmann and they had not met him yet.
Rathmann and Coppola had moved to their new home in Grimesland, North Carolina, on Oct. 10, 2022, and Coppola’s family members heard from her for the last time two days later, WCTI reports.
The couple had previously lived with Rathmann’s aunt, who told them to move out due to aggressive behavior, according to the Daily Reflector.
Coppola’s obituary reads, “A free spirit, Samantha was a devoted mother, had a good heart and was loved by all.”
On Oct. 30, Rathmann was convicted of one count of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, per the DA.
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