I'm in the "not convinced by the preponderance of evidence yet category" for the following reasons:
What we do know:
Nancy Cooper was murdered sometime after 12 midnight on July 12th.
Nancy Cooper's body was found by a passerby on the July 14th.
Nancy & Brad Cooper had a troubled and dysfunctional marriage. They were in some financial difficulty. Nancy did want a divorce. It appears that Brad did not want a divorce; at least not on the terms that Nancy's lawyer had proposed.
Brad Cooper went to Harris Teeter twice after 6:00 AM on the morning of the 12th.
Brad Cooper had a tennis date for 9:30 AM on the morning of the 12th. This was confirmed by MH, and OK'ed by Nancy herself, according to MH.
Brad Cooper did go out in the late morning/early afternoon of July 12th to allegedly look for his wife Nancy, and he did take his kids along.
I think we do know that Brad received a call from Nancy's cell sometime after 6:00 AM on the 12th. What we don't know is who made that call; Nancy herself, Brad to himself, or an accomplice of Brad.
We do know that Nancy did spend a fair amount of time going out with friends without Brad. We know this because her friends said so first hand. If Nancy is often out with her friends, doing their girly thing, who watches the kids? Brad, that's who. That fact has been buried by all the noise about how "bad" a husband Brad was. How he never had time for Nancy, or the kids. How he was only interested in himself. Brad worked full time, Nancy did not work outside the home. Who had more time to spend with the children?
Brad was a lousy husband, but in reading between the lines, he was trying to make an effort to improve, and "save" the marriage.
I find no mention by anybody that Nancy did anything to improve or save their marriage. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that to Nancy their marriage was over, finished, and unrecoverable.
What is speculated:
Since 80% of all murders are committed by a perp known to the victim which is true, it must be that Nancy was killed by Brad, which is speculation.
Cary PD has said it is not a "random crime", therefore they must know who the killer is, but cannot prove it yet. Which is interesting speculation by the Cary PD because if you cannot prove something is true, how do you know it is true???? Therefore, if the Cary PD is not just blowing smoke, they must have some circumstantial evidence that points to a killer and /or killers. If so they have not released this evidence to the public. Nor have they named a suspect, nor have they named a "person of interest".
Brad "never cleans and is a total slob". Therefore Brad's cleaning on the morning of the 12th is only because he is covering up the crime. How do we know this is true or untrue?
Everything written in a supporting Nancy Coopers friend affidavit is "true", because Nancy told the person that it was true, whereas everything a Brad friend said in an affidavit is untrue because "those" affidavits are "self serving to Brad" and since Nancy cannot defend herself and Brad " really did it"; his supporting affidavits must be untrue. Truly speculative circular logic.
Look anyone who really reads the affidavits closely will notice two things:
1) Nancy's friends affidavits are based mainly on what she told them. They are rife with statements of "Nancy told me" and "Nancy said". Do we really know those statements by Nancy to her friends to be a true and accurate picture or snapshot of the Cooper's marriage? Could Nancy have been exaggerating? Could Nancy be looking for sympathy from her friends? Was Nancy trying to play the victim? I don't know, and neither does anybody else.
2) Brad's affidavits are mainly what the writer of the affidavit observed "first hand". Can "first hand" observations be colored by the perceptions and prejudices of the observer? Of course they can, and should be taken with a grain of salt. But "first hand" observations are far stronger evidence than second hand regurgitations of what "Nancy said".
In summary, Brad in all probability did the crime, because the odds always favor guilt of someone who is close to the victim. But probability is not evidence, and there is scant actual evidence heretofore presented that Brad is in fact guilty. Brad Cooper was of course a poor husband, with few social graces, stuck in a dysfunctional marriage with Nancy who wants out of the marriage with terms most favorable to herself. That's motive in itself. Brad is also the last know person to see her alive. Never a good thing for a guilty or innocent party. Brad may be "innocent until found guilty" in a court of law, but he must "prove" himself innocent before a murder trial in order to get his children back, and clear his name in the court of public opinion.
That is a big hurtle he has yet to clear.
Shadow722