- Emily Drake was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the 2022 murder of Bert Kopinitz.
- Drake pleaded guilty last July to killing the man with a baseball bat.
- Kopinitz, a retired maintenance supervisor, was known for his kindness and community work, a family member says.
OGDEN — A woman who beat an Ogden man to death with a baseball bat in 2022 has been sentenced to a term of 15 years to life in prison.
Emily Drake, now 40, pleaded guilty in July to murder, a first-degree felony, and was sentenced Wednesday by 2nd District Judge Cristina Ortega. Drake was homeless, according to authorities, and the victim — retired maintenance supervisor Bert Kenneth Kopinitz, 68 — was an acquaintance.
Branden Miles, chief criminal deputy prosecutor in the Weber County Attorney's Office, said he understands that Drake offered a short apology during sentencing, but not much more.
"The judge was not pleased with that statement considering Drake killed the victim when she struck him in the head repeatedly with a baseball bat," he said. The sentence of 15 years to life imprisonment is the statutorily imposed sentence for murder.
Ogden police on Oct. 5, 2022, visited Kopinitz's home after a friend reported he had been missing for a few days. There they found the man's body, and authorities subsequently determined he had died of blunt force trauma. Drake was linked to the case via DNA recovered at the scene on the bat and blood belonging to Kopinitz that was found on her clothing when she was later arrested, charges state.
"She was interviewed by investigators and subsequently admitted to killing the victim by hitting him in the head," reads her plea statement last July to murder as part of a plea deal. Court papers don't spell out a motive.
Kopinitz is survived by numerous relatives. According to one of his nieces, Crystal Jones, he handled maintenance work at the old Ogden City Mall, now demolished, and Layton Hills Mall before retiring. He was active at an Ogden community garden, where he enjoyed helping others.
"He didn't seek recognition — he simply showed up, ready to lend a hand, share a laugh and make things grow. Bert had a gentle spirit and a heart full of kindness. He loved cats, and they loved him back. He had a way with animals and people alike," Jones said.
