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Altoona woman ‘accepts’ role in hiding victim’s body

Victim’s family:?Sentence ‘not enough time’

HOLLIDAYSBURG — An Altoona woman accused of helping to hide Catherine Copley’s body in December 2015 has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse.

Samantha J. Musselman, 31, who has been in Blair County Prison since her arrest in November 2018, rendered the plea Monday in county court in exchange for a sentence of one to two years’ incarceration.

Because Musselman has been incarcerated for almost 18 months, Judge Elizabeth A. Doyle’s sentencing order authorized Musselman’s immediate release. Musselman will be on parole for the remaining six months of her sentence.

“When (Musselman) pled guilty today, she acknowledged that she worked with (Catherine Copley’s husband) Michael Copley to abuse the corpse of Catherine Copley,” District Attorney Pete Weeks said Monday.

The sentence of one to two years, Weeks said, is the state’s statutory maximum on that offense for someone with no prior record.

Defense attorney Robert Donaldson said Musselman is entitled to credit for time served and recognition of the time she spent in prison.

“She has accepted responsibility for her limited role in the matter and wants to move on with her life,” Donaldson said.

Catherine Copley’s sister, Amy Boob of Altoona said she and her family were disappointed with Musselman’s incarceration period because it falls short of justice.

“It’s not enough time,” Boob said. “Samantha knew the whole time where Cathy’s body was … and there was a time when my mother and I and others contacted Samantha (prior to the body being found). We asked her to tell us where Cathy was. … She looked us dead in the eye and said she didn’t know.”

Altoona police charged Michael Copley with homicide and related charges, alleging that he killed his 29-year-old wife in December 2015 and enlisted Musselman’s help to hide her body.

Catherine Copley was initially reported as missing and six months later, in June 2016, her partially decomposed body was found in a garage behind an abandoned house on the 400 block of East Pleasant Valley Boulevard.

Police, in October 2018, charged Copley with homicide and related charges that are still pending in county court. Copley remains in prison without bail because of the homicide charge, with his case expected to go to trial later this year.

Musselman rendered her plea Monday via computer video transmission, an option set up between the courts and the county prison to lessen the potential spread of the coronavirus. She was in a room at the prison two blocks from the courthouse.

“It wasn’t fair that we had to look at her on a computer,” Boob said. “But Judge Doyle didn’t give us that chance to speak face-to-face.”

At Friday’s plea court session, Musselman wanted to render her plea then, also via computer video transmission. But Doyle put the plea on hold so prosecutors had time to contact the victim’s family, who were in court on Monday.

Victim Witness Coordinator Atle Walter of the district attorney’s office accompanied Boob and her mother, Catherine Boob, to court where they read statements and where Walter read a statement from Catherine Copley’s nieces who miss their aunt.

“This should have been done in person,” Walter said. “There’s only so much emotion that can be conveyed through video conferencing.”

Amy Boob said she saw no reaction from Musselman.

“She didn’t say she was sorry or show remorse,” Boob said. “She was just a blank face, just sat there. … If she’s capable of doing this to someone and showing no remorse, how can the community feel safe?”

Doyle’s order forbids Musselman from having any contact with Copley’s family members.

While on parole, she will be required to check in regularly with a county parole agent.

When police charged Musselman in October 2018, she was living in Beatrice, Neb., and booked as a fugitive from justice. Donaldson said Monday that his client moved there, where she has friends, but doesn’t plan to return.

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