Seven Hills murder suspect Frank Dienes pleads guilty to murder in shooting death of Joe Kopp

CLEVELAND - Frank Dienes' wife tearfully pleaded with her husband to accept a plea deal from Cuyahoga County Prosecutors late Wednesday afternoon in Judge John Russo's courtroom.

A short time later, Dienes pleaded guilty to murdering Joe Kopp.

Dienes was to go on trial November 14 for aggravated murder, and faced life in prison if convicted. Instead, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of murder.

Dienes will be officially charged Tuesday to 16 years to life in prison, when Joe Kopp's family can make victim impact statements. As it stands now, Dienes would be eligible for parole at age 61.

Seven Hills police said Dienes shot and killed Kopp, who was living in the Dienes' renovated garage.

Police said Dienes buried Kopp's body in Dienes' backyard last March, but didn't tell his wife until a month later. His wife, Char, told caretaker and family friend Nicole Alexander, who immediately told police.

Kopp and Frank Dienes were neighbors who became friends in Seven Hills 20 years earlier. For years, Kopp told people that he believed Dienes killed Amy Mihaljevic. Mihaljevic was abducted from a shopping plaza in Bay Village after school in 1989 and her body was found that winter in an Ashland County field by a jogger.

Kopp's brother, Paul, previously told NewsChannel5 that Joe suffered from a mental health illness and was known to make up stories about people.

Bay Village police questioned Dienes in 1995 after receiving a call that Dienes resembled a sketch of the man scene with Amy the day she disappeared. But he was never charged.

Bay Village police said they want to talk with Dienes once again about Amy's case once the Kopp case is completely over.

Char Dienes said Kopp unplugged her oxygen tank several times and threatened to burn their house down because the Dienes were trying to evict Kopp who wouldn't move out of their house she said.

Char said she called Seven Hills police in November 2010 asking them to remove Kopp because he threatened them when they tried to make him move out, but she said police told her to finalize eviction papers first.

Char said she was at a movie last March when her husband shot and killed Kopp. She said she believes her husband, who told her it was in self-defense and that he panicked and buried Kopp's body instead of calling 911 or police.

Alexander said Kopp suffered from obsessive compulsive behavior and she heard the threats to burn down the house and saw him unplug Char's oxygen tank. But police said Dienes committed murder, shooting Kopp in the back of the head.

The plea deal Wednesday came during a pre-trial hearing for Dienes.

Dienes was scolded by Judge John Russo during a previous court appearance because the judge said doctors believed Dienes was faking a mental health issue and was trying to go for an insanity plea.

Char Dienes told NewsChannel5's Paul Kiska Wednesday after her husband pleaded guilty to murder that he did not kill Amy Mihaljevic. Char said Frank never told her he was questioned in the cold case in 1995. Char said she found out about Frank being questioned by Bay Village police from author James Renner, who has researched and detailed Amy's case thoroughly for years.

Char said she then researched Amy's case and said her husband had nothing to do with Amy's disappearance.

She said Frank's father did flooring work on Amy's Bay Village house, but it was years after Amy died. Frank's family owned a farm in rural Ashalnd County a short distance from where Amy's body was found.

Char said while she believes her husband but that she had to research Amy's case because of the possibility of "sleeping with the enemy."

Dienes will be officially sentenced 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.