Woman who killed 90-year-old father, buried him in backyard sentenced

Updated at 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2015

A woman who murdered her father and hid the body of the 90-year-old World War II veteran in the backyard of their Bellflower home was sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in prison.

Linda Sue Copeland, 63, was convicted in November of second-degree murder for the death of her father, Ralph Stofleth, who was believed to have been killed between Feb. 1, 2008, and Feb. 8, 2008.

Stofleth’s remains, covered with sheets and a cardboard, were discovered near a backyard shed in May 2008 after Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies went to the home the father and daughter had shared. Neighbors expressed concern that they had not seen the man for three months.

The coroner’s office determined his cause of death was asphyxia, along with other undetermined factors, authorities said.

Copeland was arrested and charged in May 2008 in connection with her father’s death.

Evidence presented during Copeland’s trial showed that she continued to collect her father’s retirement benefits after he was killed, according to Deputy District Attorney Tina Hooks.

Copeland’s attorney, Andrew Stein, told Superior Court Judge John A. Torribio he had wanted to base his defense of Copeland on her mental state, but she would not cooperate with such a defense.

During the sentencing hearing, Copeland read a statement saying she does not believe she killed her father, but conceded she did not call 911 when she “discovered his lifeless body in his bed.”

“I moved what I believed was my dad’s dead body to the backyard to use as a shield for protection from perceived imminent harm,” Copeland said.

She noted in her statement that her father “was being preyed upon by unknown criminals and no one believed me.”

—City News Service