Kathy Pinna
Reward offered in drive-by murder
The Press updated Nov 22, 2013
Antioch police investigators have not been able to find the person who killed Oakley resident Sabrina Koeppel in a drive-by shooting last year, so a $10,000 reward is being offered for information on the shooter.
Koeppel was sitting on the tailgate of a friend's truck on Poppy Lane in Antioch during the early morning hours of July 23, 2006 when the shooting occurred. Deanne Mullen, who is engaged to Sabrina's father, Scott Hammond, said Koeppel had been invited to a party of some old friends from high school.
"At around one in the morning a car drove by out front of this house where they were all sitting," Mullen said. "The car drove by once, and then a half hour later it drove by again and shot Sabrina three times in the head and the stomach and the heart. At 3 a.m. we got the call from her husband. It's been a nightmare ever since."
Koeppel was a devout Christian who married her high school sweetheart and had a daughter, Jaylei, who is now 3.
Frustrated by the lack of leads in the case, Detective Mike Franzen thought the enticement of some reward money might bring forward a witness. The city of Antioch put up $5,000 and the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Fund, a nonprofit organization founded by the families of three hikers who were murdered in Yosemite, contributed the other $5,000.
"We were essentially stalled, and in these kinds of cases sometimes a reward will bring people out," said Franzen. "There's always someone who knows something but doesn't come forward because they are afraid or don't want to be a snitch. I'm confident someone will eventually call us; not everyone can keep their mouths shut, especially if there is money involved."
According to Mullen, "There are definitely people out there who know what happened, and we're hoping the reward money will bring someone out. We're just looking for some closure."
Mullen is frustrated that the Antioch Police Department hasn't done more to solve the crime that she feels was premeditated.
"We fully believe that this wasn't a random shooting, and we're hoping the reward money will bring someone out who saw what happened that night," said Mullen, who declined to elaborate on why she thinks the shooting wasn't random. "People definitely know what happened, and we don't feel that enough is being done."
Franzen does not think the shooting of Koeppel was deliberate, however. He said it was simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "She was a very respectable person, and I've never believed she was the intended victim," said Franzen. "She was just the closest one at the time. It was a true drive-by shooting."
Scott Hammond said the loss of his daughter has changed his life in a profound way. "The effect that this has all had on me is positive," said Hammond. "Everything I did before in my life was stupid, and I have a lot of regrets. But I've turned my life completely around because when I see my daughter again, I want her to be proud of me.
"I never thought in a hundred years I'd be burying my child; that's not the way it's supposed to go. The police say they have 21 homicides they are working on, but to me there is only one."
Despite the lack of leads so far, Franzen is committed to solving the crime. "I remain optimistic about this case," he said. "I have a picture of Sabrina on top of her file to remind me of her and who she was. A homicide case stays open forever until it's solved, and I will stay on it. I will not forget about her."
Those with information about the case can call 779-6932. The reward money will be given to the individual with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in the crime.
Antioch police investigators have not been able to find the person who killed Oakley resident Sabrina Koeppel in a drive-by shooting last year, so a $10,000 reward is being offered for information on the shooter.
Koeppel was sitting on the tailgate of a friend's truck on Poppy Lane in Antioch during the early morning hours of July 23, 2006 when the shooting occurred. Deanne Mullen, who is engaged to Sabrina's father, Scott Hammond, said Koeppel had been invited to a party of some old friends from high school.
"At around one in the morning a car drove by out front of this house where they were all sitting," Mullen said. "The car drove by once, and then a half hour later it drove by again and shot Sabrina three times in the head and the stomach and the heart. At 3 a.m. we got the call from her husband. It's been a nightmare ever since."
Koeppel was a devout Christian who married her high school sweetheart and had a daughter, Jaylei, who is now 3.
Frustrated by the lack of leads in the case, Detective Mike Franzen thought the enticement of some reward money might bring forward a witness. The city of Antioch put up $5,000 and the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Fund, a nonprofit organization founded by the families of three hikers who were murdered in Yosemite, contributed the other $5,000.
"We were essentially stalled, and in these kinds of cases sometimes a reward will bring people out," said Franzen. "There's always someone who knows something but doesn't come forward because they are afraid or don't want to be a snitch. I'm confident someone will eventually call us; not everyone can keep their mouths shut, especially if there is money involved."
According to Mullen, "There are definitely people out there who know what happened, and we're hoping the reward money will bring someone out. We're just looking for some closure."
Mullen is frustrated that the Antioch Police Department hasn't done more to solve the crime that she feels was premeditated.
"We fully believe that this wasn't a random shooting, and we're hoping the reward money will bring someone out who saw what happened that night," said Mullen, who declined to elaborate on why she thinks the shooting wasn't random. "People definitely know what happened, and we don't feel that enough is being done."
Franzen does not think the shooting of Koeppel was deliberate, however. He said it was simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "She was a very respectable person, and I've never believed she was the intended victim," said Franzen. "She was just the closest one at the time. It was a true drive-by shooting."
Scott Hammond said the loss of his daughter has changed his life in a profound way. "The effect that this has all had on me is positive," said Hammond. "Everything I did before in my life was stupid, and I have a lot of regrets. But I've turned my life completely around because when I see my daughter again, I want her to be proud of me.
"I never thought in a hundred years I'd be burying my child; that's not the way it's supposed to go. The police say they have 21 homicides they are working on, but to me there is only one."
Despite the lack of leads so far, Franzen is committed to solving the crime. "I remain optimistic about this case," he said. "I have a picture of Sabrina on top of her file to remind me of her and who she was. A homicide case stays open forever until it's solved, and I will stay on it. I will not forget about her."
Those with information about the case can call 779-6932. The reward money will be given to the individual with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in the crime.
