This came in the e-mail box. It’s piqued my interest. I’m going to keep the reader’s identity private for now. They can speak up if they choose.
Here’s a challenge for your readers’ beliefs- a death penalty story.
I’m definitely not anti-death penalty. I’ve also tried enough cases in front of juries to understand evidence and judges and court rulings etc. With that, I am shocked by this case.
This story is about a guy who is next in line to be executed by theState of California.
His will be the first execution in a long, long time.
I read it, its not long, and I came out wondering how on earth can this happen- the execution, that is.
In my current occupation I am very close to the state’s correctional system.
That’s about all I can really say about that. But even so, the facts presented here, especially the things the five judges had to say, have me ready to go to San Quentin
to hold vigil in protest.
Sorry for the long email. Read the story yourself. I’d be very curious to see reader’s comments.
Prosecutors are interested in convictions. If justice happens to show up, well, how nice.
Uh Oh. I see this is the Kevin Cooper case.
I think Cooper is guilty.
I will write another comment with the damning evidence.
One photo reminds me of the old joke:
Q.: What do you call a Black guy in a three-piece suit?
A.: Defendant.
All kidding aside, they may indeed be preparing to execute an innocent man. Been done before. Will be done countless times in the future. No way to stop it, apparently. However, I can’t believe there is not some DNA evidence that could settle the matter one way or another. Hopefully the guy’s lawyer(s) have explored that avenue. If not, xinh loi, as they say in the ‘Nam.
Why have judges and juries and appeals courts when you have the Daily Mail to cover the facts and can render the verdict for us?
frankly there is much too little substance in this article to formulate an opinion, one way or another
You posted it without knowing the guy’s name was Kevin Cooper?
Over 90% hearsay and conjecture.
No links to sources.
Evidence indicating guilt is dismissed out of hand.
Apparently he was at the scene, what, was he just chillin and smoking cigs while it all went down?
THAT is why his side of the story is not in the article.
I think that is true of most such articles, which are usually biased in the direction of the author’s opinion, one way or the other. IMHO.
Cooper walked away from a minimum security prison and was a fugitive.
He found an abandoned house to stay in.
Coincidentally, nearly an entire family was murdered with an axe and an ice pick right next door. One young houseguest was staying with them. When they couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone the dad of the houseguest went over and found everyone murdered, except for one young boy.
The family’s car was stolen.
Next door they found blood from the crime scene, footprints, and hairs from the victims in the shower.
Cooper admits to being in the abandoned house with his wife and two of his children. His fingerprints were found in the home.
They found bloody clothes with the victim’s blood on it.
What is not in dispute is that whoever murdered the family that person was staying in the abandoned house.
Cooper was staying in that abandoned house.
The hatchet used to kill the victims was found outside the house. The sheath to the hatchet was next to the bed Cooper slept in.
Bloody footprints, identical, were found in the victim’s house and the house Cooper stayed in. They were his size shoe and the same brand he wore.
Hairs from Cooper were found in the abandoned stolen car, and two cigarette butts from prison issued tobacco were found in the car.
Cooper escaped to Mexico, where his family befriended another and they all took a boat ride. The woman claimed Cooper raped her at knifepoint.
He was arrested and items from the abandoned house were found on the boat.
There was a DNA test performed on a bloody shirt found outside the victim’s house.
It matched Cooper.
The Cooper defense is that evidence was tampered with and someone else committed the murders and entered the abandoned house.
It’s just bad luck that Cooper stole their car the night the family was murdered by someone else.
tl;dr
Is this guy some relative of Steven Avery?
He has a long criminal history and a prison escapee. He may or may not have killed those people, but he still deserves execution. If he’s released, is his life of crime going to stop?
I told you I was posting sight unseen, and we’d all get a chance to look at the case at the same time.
I vote guilty.
Thanks BFH, that cleared a lot of things up.
Let justice be served, if delayed by 30 years.
I typed the above post before I could read BFH”s post on the facts. He did it.
He wants to be let OJ aws. Guilty but free.
That article read too much like a fairy tale to me
What’s all this talk about murder and lethal infection when there’s a cactus about to prick voters in Ohio tomorrow?
Let’s keep our priories in order, OK? After all, Tuesday is Groundhog Day. That should remove any shadow of a doubt about Cooper’s incense.
No, I haven’t been drinking.
Well, the 5 judges in question seem to be the 9th circuit whose left bias is well known. The only familiarity with this case I have is the article and BFH’s note and I think he’s guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and the majority of SCOTUS didn’t think there was grounds for a retrial. I’m just surprised that California is actually going to carry out a death sentence. Bet the Guv intervenes and commutes.
Worst. Luck. Ever!
Obviously a vast white wing conspiracy.
Has anyone asked Mumia Abu-Jamal for his learned opinion in the case?
They played the race card. That alone should bring the death penalty.
Very convincing, but I still have a question – why did the boy who survived – the one eyewitness – first say it was three whites or hispanics? And then change his story?
My peter burns too. You wouldn’t by any chance happen to be acquainted with a girl named Sally, would you..?
?
Were I on death row for a case like this I would ask for a truth serum enhanced interview.
Were I innocent, that is.
If either Hillary or Bernie win the presidency I’ll volunteer to take his place.
Penicillin Sally. You too?