Manhasset wife killer denied sentence credit amid DA, children’s objections
A Manhasset man serving a sentence of 25 years to life for the 2002 murder of his wife has been denied a sentence credit that could have advanced his release eligibility, as Nassau County’s district attorney renewed her call to keep him behind bars.
Nikolaos Kotsopoulos, 63, was convicted in 2003 of second-degree murder in the killing of his wife, Carol Lyn Fraser Kotsopoulos, at the couple’s Manhasset home. He is incarcerated at Ulster Correctional Facility.
A spokesman for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said Kotsopoulos’ request for a Limited Credit Time Allowance was denied following a July 14 interview with the Board of Parole.
The six-month credit is available to some incarcerated individuals who are not eligible for traditional Merit Time but have completed qualifying programs, maintained good institutional records and met other statutory requirements. DOCCS officials said parole interviews are generally scheduled about four months before an incarcerated individual’s earliest release eligibility date.
The DOCCS spokesman declined to discuss the reason for the denial or provide details about the parole interview. Manhasset Press submitted a FOIL request for the parole interview transcript but had not received a response by press time.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly welcomed the decision and reiterated her opposition to Kotsopoulos’ release.
“Nikolaos Kotsopoulos committed a barbaric crime, beating and pistol-whipping the mother of his children and shooting her in the head while the children were home,” Donnelly said in a statement. “He should never be allowed to walk free.”
Donnelly said her office has supported the victims’ children throughout the parole process and continues to stand with them in requesting that Kotsopoulos remain incarcerated. According to previous news reports, the couple’s now-adult sons also strongly opposed their father’s release and planned to appear before the parole board.
In a May 18 letter to the parole board, Donnelly urged officials to deny Kotsopoulos any release, citing the brutality of the killing, his repeated denial of responsibility and what she described as his lack of remorse. She wrote that the couple’s two children, who were 11 and 9 when their mother was killed, witnessed the crime, later testified against their father and continue to suffer the lasting effects of the murder. The letter also states that Kotsopoulos taunted one of his children during the trial and lunged at the prosecutor.
According to DOCCS records, Kotsopoulos is serving an aggregate sentence of 25 years to life. His earliest release eligibility date remains May 4, 2027. If parole is denied when he becomes eligible, he will continue serving a maximum sentence of life in prison.