Bellflower woman convicted of killing elderly father

BELLFLOWER – A woman was found guilty last week of second-degree murder for killing her 90-year-old father six years ago in Bellflower, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. Jurors deliberated for three days before determining that Linda Sue Copeland, 62, was guilty of murdering Ralph Stofleth.

Copeland faces up to 15 years to life in prison when she’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 9 at Los Angeles County Superior Court in Norwalk.

Stofleth is believed to have been killed sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, 2008. His body, covered with sheets and cardboard, was found three months later partially buried near a shed in the backyard of a home where Copeland lived with her father.

Neighbors had called authorities to express concern because they had not seen Stofleth for three months.

Deputy District Attorney Tina Hooks of the Elder Abuse Section said evidence presented at trial showed Copeland continued to collect her father’s retirement benefits even after he was killed.

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Published: Nov. 27, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 33