Solicitor’s office: Little River man will spend 30 years in prison for murdering his mother

A Little River man pleaded guilty to the murder of his mother and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday, according to the Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Colby Kopacz, 31, will spend 30 years in prison and is not eligible for parole after pleading guilty to killing his 54-year-old mother Amy Kopacz, the solicitor’s office said in a release.

Horry County police found Amy Kopacz dead following an assault in her home on Little River Inn Lane on Oct. 29, 2021. Colby Kopacz was arrested in November 2021 in Florida and he admitted to hitting his mother in the head multiple times, according to the solicitor’s office.

“The Horry County Police Department should be commended for their thorough investigation,” said Josh Holford, the senior assistant solicitor who prosecuted the case.

“I echo the family member’s sentiments shared in court: no sentence is ever enough to replace the life of a loved one,” Holford said. “But hopefully this quick resolution without having to re-live the trauma during a trial is a step towards healing.”

In a 2021 interview with MyHorryNews.com, Amy Kopacz’s daughters shared memories of their mother.

“She was a beautiful, vibrant, devoted, kindhearted, forgiving, incredible human being,” Holly Kopacz said. “She just wanted to live life happily and the more people she made smile the better.”

Her other daughter, Tamara Conboy, said her mother was her role model and the person she aspired to be. They shared a love of traveling and photography.

“You’ll never meet somebody that was as sweet and kind and accepting as my mother,” Conboy said. “She saw the best in everybody.”