Maura Perry

Case overview

Maura Perry was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison on December 12, 2013. She pleaded guilty.

Background

Maura Perry was accused in the shooting death of 71-year-old Jimmie Cooper in September 2012. Investigators said Perry shot and killed him to help sustain her drug addiction and that she had an ongoing relationship with the victim. Investigators also said that Perry stole property after the alleged murder and pawned it to facilitate her drug usage.

During the plea hearing, Perry told the judge that she thought about killing Cooper the day before and then made a plan to kill him. Perry told the judge: “I did it for cash.”

The offence

Cooper was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head as he lay in his bed in a back room at his home. Deputies reported that Cooper’s decomposing body was found inside his trailer home in Peytona after co-workers reported that he had not shown up for work.

The home showed signs of a forced entry and Cooper’s car was missing. Investigators reported that Perry confessed she shot Cooper with his own .38-caliber gun as he lay in his bed at his home in Peytona. A deputy testified at a preliminary hearing that Perry said she had been planning to poison Cooper but she was not able to get the drugs.

A sheriff said the killing was not a random crime and that the shooter knew Cooper and was after his prescription drugs. The sheriff described Cooper as a veteran who worked as a part time security guard up until he was killed. Neighbors told WSAZ.com that Cooper had also been a minister and that he loved people.

Investigation

Investigators were called to Cooper’s trailer in Peytona, just off Route 3, about 11:30 p.m. Police at the scene included Boone County Sheriff’s Deputies, West Virginia State Police, and a crime scene unit.

The body was badly decomposed when deputies found it, which Sheriff Rodney Miller said could have delayed the case, but he said family members helped and he was already interviewing several people.

Sheriff Rodney Miller said investigators treated the scene as a homicide and said they did not think the violence was something that people would go from home to home and continue.

A preliminary hearing included testimony that Perry had confessed and that she shot Cooper with his own .38-caliber gun.

Several items were recovered from pawn shops in the Kanawha Valley area that belonged to Cooper. Investigators said Cooper’s car was recovered in Putnam County, where it had been abandoned at a park and ride in Scott Depot.

Arrest

Maura Perry was arrested on a Friday in connection with the murder of an elderly man whose body was found Wednesday. She was held at the Southwestern Regional Jail awaiting arraignment before a Boone County magistrate.

Trial

Preliminary hearing and probable cause

At a preliminary hearing, a magistrate found probable cause to send the case to a grand jury.

A deputy testified at the preliminary hearing that Perry confessed to the crime, saying she shot Cooper with his own .38-caliber gun as he lay in his bed at his home in Peytona. The deputy also said Perry told them she had been planning to poison Cooper but she was not able to get the drugs.

Sentencing

Perry was sentenced on Thursday in Boone County Circuit Court for a first-degree murder conviction. The sentencing was to life in prison with a recommendation of mercy, which could make her eligible for parole after serving at least 15 years.

Perry pleaded guilty last month, and she told the judge that she thought about killing Cooper the day before and then made a plan to kill him.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Maura Perry pleaded guilty and received a life sentence on December 12, 2013.

Aftermath

Cooper’s family asked for mercy for Perry and discussed support from Perry’s family in court.

Angel Tanner said: “He was a great man, he loved people. He had mercy when a lot of people wouldn't show mercy,”

Tanner said Cooper was a man with music in his heart and that he “could make anyone in the room smile,”

Perry said she killed Cooper as he slept inside his Peytona home in September 2012. Perry told a judge on Thursday that she thought about killing Cooper beforehand, then went into his room and shot him in the head because she needed cash.

Johnnie Cooper said: “Dad would ask that my family would forgive her and move on, he wouldn't want us to hate and put that on us because to hate her makes us as bad as her,”

The family agreed to let the state ask for mercy for Perry, meaning she could be eligible for parole when she was 37 years old. Tanner said: “We have each other and she has nobody and she needs family there,”

Tanner said the family was bothered by the fact that Perry’s family had not been in court to support her and asked for Perry’s family to come: “We want her to have somebody here with her, so, please, somebody come and support your daughter or your sister, please do that,”

Timeline

• September 2012 — Perry was accused in the shooting death of 71-year-old Jimmie Cooper; investigators said the killing occurred while Cooper lay in his bed at his home in Peytona.
• September 16, 2012 (approx.) — Josh King said Perry allegedly walked into Jimmy Cooper's trailer in Peytona, pointed a revolver at the back of his head, and pulled the trigger.
• September 26, 2012 — Cooper’s body was discovered after co-workers reported he had not shown up for work.
• September 27, 2012 — Investigators said Cooper’s body was badly decomposed when deputies found it, and Sheriff Rodney Miller said the killing was treated as a homicide.
• September 27, 2012 — The name of Jimmie Cooper was released.
• September 27, 2012 — Police said they were investigating the death of a 71-year-old man at a trailer in Peytona and said they found signs of forced entry and treated the case as a homicide.
• October 9, 2012 — A magistrate found probable cause to send the case to a grand jury.
• November 14, 2013 — Perry pleaded guilty to first degree murder.
• December 12, 2013 — Perry was sentenced to life in prison.
• December 13, 2013 — Reporting said Perry was sentenced to life in prison with the recommendation of mercy for the killing of 71-year-old Jimmie Cooper; it stated she could be eligible for parole after serving at least 15 years.

Other details

Josh King said: “A lot of people were surprised by that,” “Just a normal person,” “She knew what she was doing. She was better than some of the people around here.”

Josh King said: “It's kinda crazy that I used to work with her,” “That she has that potential to kill somebody. It definitely is.”

The Boone County Sheriff said: “You certainly have a soft spot for those types of individuals,” “We want to do the best job we can out of respect for him his family.”

Case updates reported that Perry denied an interview request.

Neighbors said Casey Halsted: “It's mind boggling a little bit,” “Even though Cooper was elderly, he was a fighter,” “He's the type of man wouldn't stand back for nobody,” “He'd stand his ground.”

Halsted said: “He was a good going person,” “He’d talk to anybody. Or help them.”

The record stated Perry was being held at the Southwestern Regional Jail, and her case proceeded through a Boone County magistrate and grand jury process.