Brad Cooper Pleads Guilty to 2nd Degree Murder of Nancy Cooper

[JusticeFever]

Yeah, HCs statement was just weird. If they were pretty sure they would get a conviction, they should have gone to trial. Otherwise, don't complain about the terms of the deal you offered. Justice was not served with that plea deal. It was first degree or not guilty.

Exactly, it should be all or nothing...also I think HC knew the plea deal was not going to go over well with people who thought Brad was guilty, so he made a last stand to object.




I will say this though,(OT) I would have been thrilled if Casey Anthony had to do a least 12 years..

 

[ncsu95]

No doubt about that. Of the 4 trials going on during that time, I was most sure about her guilt, followed by Jason Young, then Brad Cooper. She is found NG, JY gets a hung jury and BC gets gap guilty verdict. I was slightly confused with the results.

 

[RR0004]

The question wasn't about "the case," it was about why a specific person (Howard Cummings) said what he said during the last hearing. And I'm pointing out that no one can answer a question about what Howard Cummings was thinking or why he did what he did, other than HC himself.

Brad isn't just going home. He will spend the next 6+ years in state prison. He will forever be a convicted murderer, a felon. It was his choice.

Wish it could have been more.
Small justice for a grievous crime.
Nancy deserved more.
Thanks for being here for her, Madeleine74.

 

[Madeleine74]

Just because a deal is offered doesn't mean the ADA (Cummings in this case) has to personally like it or think the sentence reflects the gravity of the crime. In this case it doesn't, but no one charged with first degree murder is going to take a plea for first degree murder.

Sure, the state could have ignored their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers and spent a bunch more money to take the case to a 2nd trial, but then they'd have to answer to their taxpayers for why they didn't try to plead the case and get it adjudicated. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The Cooper case is just one of many murder cases in the county. Ultimately the Rentz family's willingness and support of a deal paved the way for Brad's sweet 6 yr remaining sentence. Brad has his in-laws to thank for the opportunity. He sure doesn't deserve it, IMO.

 

[Madeleine74]

And for those who think judges have no right to make comments when sentencing the guilty losers, take a peek at what the judge in the Steven Spader case had to say. (Spader was the ringleader of a gang who decided it would be "fun" to break into a house and chop up the occupants. So they killed a sleeping mother with a machete and knives and did the same to her 10 yr old child, leaving the child for dead. The child played dead and somehow survived her ordeal.)

“I could go on for days and days about the depth of your depravity. Suffice it to say, you belong in a cage. And you should stay in that cage for the rest of your pointless life,” Judge Gillian Abramson said during sentencing.

 

[JusticeFever]

No doubt about that. Of the 4 trials going on during that time, I was most sure about her guilt, followed by Jason Young, then Brad Cooper. She is found NG, JY gets a hung jury and BC gets gap guilty verdict. I was slightly confused with the results.

Ncsu95, you mentioned the trials of Anthony, Young and Cooper, but,
what was the 4th?

tia

 

[ncsu95]

And for those who think judges have no right to make comments when sentencing the guilty losers, take a peek at what the judge in the Steven Spader case had to say. (Spader was the ringleader of a gang who decided it would be "fun" to break into a house and chop up the occupants. So they killed a sleeping mother with a machete and knives and did the same to her 10 yr old child, leaving the child for dead. The child played dead and somehow survived her ordeal.)

“I could go on for days and days about the depth of your depravity. Suffice it to say, you belong in a cage. And you should stay in that cage for the rest of your pointless life,” Judge Gillian Abramson said during sentencing.

I have no problem with judges making comments. I do have a problem with this judge making the comments he did since his rulings are the reason the plea deal happened in the first place. Preside over a fair trial and he wouldn't have had the opportunity to make the comments.

 

[ncsu95]

Ncsu95, you mentioned the trials of Anthony, Young and Cooper, but,
what was the 4th?

tia

Typo. I meant 3.

 

[JusticeFever]

Typo. I meant 3.

Thanks, I thought I missed one!! I am sorry I didn't get a chance to post with you back then.

 

[Madeleine74]

I have no problem with judges making comments. I do have a problem with this judge making the comments he did since his rulings are the reason the plea deal happened in the first place. Preside over a fair trial and he wouldn't have had the opportunity to make the comments.

Obviously my post didn't apply to you since you don't have an issue with judges making comments in general and my post was specifically about that. Others do have issues, and have stated so in the past. I included the Spader judge's comments to show just how pointed and brutal some judge's comments can get vs what we've seen in this particular state, which is pretty tame by comparison.

Gessner's comments had to do with Brad's willingness to give up his children and that's what he commented on and only what he commented on. Had nothing to do with the overturned conviction, but that the defendant would choose to take a year less in jail in exchange for giving up the kids. I heard several parents say similar things when they learned he did that.

 

[MyBelle]

I have no problem with judges making comments. I do have a problem with this judge making the comments he did since his rulings are the reason the plea deal happened in the first place. Preside over a fair trial and he wouldn't have had the opportunity to make the comments.

I agree with you. I'd like to know how many other trial verdicts have been over-turned based on this Judge's failure to provide a fair trial, which is a violation of the defendant's federal right to due process. I'm still stunned that child custody of children living in another country was part of the plea bargain process. I've never heard of this and attorneys I've talked to have never heard of it.

JMO

 

[macd]

I agree with you. I'd like to know how many other trial verdicts have been over-turned based on this Judge's failure to provide a fair trial, which is a violation of the defendant's federal right to due process. I'm still stunned that child custody of children living in another country was part of the plea bargain process. I've never heard of this and attorneys I've talked to have never heard of it.

JMO

It seems to me that this was Brad's idea. Gessner's statement showed he disapproved and Cummings said he wanted Brad to serve a longer sentence.

 

[JusticeFever]

It seems to me that this was Brad's idea. Gessner's statement showed he disapproved and Cummings said he wanted Brad to serve a longer sentence.

I don't think it was Brad's idea to give up his daughters. Brad has been away from them for 6 years now and it will likely be another 6 years before he is free. That is 12 years of their life he is missing. The girls, I think are 8 and 10 now, which will make them 14 and 16 when he is released. So, it's probably more of a legal formality and something that the Rentz's wanted and asked for. Brad agreed to that part after they made their wishes known to the state, it was probably the only bargaining power he had in all of this, but I seriously doubt it was his idea to begin with.

Judge Gessner and HC knew what the the deal was, they knew the details of the plea before they all came to court. If Judge Gessner wanted to reprimand Brad for giving up his rights to his children, Judge Gessner will also have to know and live with the fact that it was his error that made this all possible.

As for HC acting all disappointed over the length of the deal, if he didn't like the terms, he could have very easily, at any time, taken the deal off the table, and proceeded to trial.
But, he didn't.

JMO

 

[ncsu95]

Obviously my post didn't apply to you since you don't have an issue with judges making comments in general and my post was specifically about that. Others do have issues, and have stated so in the past. I included the Spader judge's comments to show just how pointed and brutal some judge's comments can get vs what we've seen in this particular state, which is pretty tame by comparison.

Gessner's comments had to do with Brad's willingness to give up his children and that's what he commented on and only what he commented on. Had nothing to do with the overturned conviction, but that the defendant would choose to take a year less in jail in exchange for giving up the kids. I heard several parents say similar things when they learned he did that.

Why? He had zero chance at getting his kids back anyways. What is wrong with him negotiating for a reduced sentence? Him staying in jail 1 year longer wouldn't have given him custody of his kids upon release.

 

[Madeleine74]

Why? He had zero chance at getting his kids back anyways. What is wrong with him negotiating for a reduced sentence? Him staying in jail 1 year longer wouldn't have given him custody of his kids upon release.

Would you give up your kids and relinquish all parental rights in exchange for 1 less year in prison?

Then again, he killed his wife and dumped her mostly nude body in a ditch, leaving his children with no mother, so considering the best interests of anyone else really isn't his thing. It's always been about Brad. And I'm glad those kids will never have to see him again.

 

[ncsu95]

Would you give up your kids and relinquish all parental rights in exchange for 1 less year in prison?

Then again, he killed his wife and dumped her mostly nude body in a ditch, leaving his children with no mother, so considering the best interests of anyone else really isn't his thing. It's always been about Brad. And I'm glad those kids will never have to see him again.

Spend 7 years in prison and basically have no chance at seeing my kids until they are adults....or agreeing to allow them to be adopted and spend only 6 years and still have no chance at seeing them until they are adults? That 1 year in prison wouldn't change the ability to see them.

 

[MyBelle]

It seems to me that this was Brad's idea. Gessner's statement showed he disapproved and Cummings said he wanted Brad to serve a longer sentence.

I do not believe the plea bargain agreement was Brad's idea.

 

[MyBelle]

Spend 7 years in prison and basically have no chance at seeing my kids until they are adults....or agreeing to allow them to be adopted and spend only 6 years and still have no chance at seeing them until they are adults? That 1 year in prison wouldn't change the ability to see them.

Prison sentences are not supposed to be predicated on whether the inmate has children. It is the most ridiculous thing I've seen come out of N.C. and they have a reputation for the ridiculous. The number of re-trials is ridiculous.

JMO

 

[Landonsmom02]

I don't see what the big hoopla here is? He admitted guilt. He's guilty. He's in jail and when he gets out he will forever carry around that F(felon) and he will really have no life as he won't be able to obtain a decent job. He won't see his kids until they are atleast 18 yrs old. Then they may or may not want to be a part of his life. It's over and done. And I know that if I were really innocent. I would not take a plea and I would not bagain my rights to my children. I would fight til the day I died to prove that. IMO, he took the plea because he knew his goosed was cooked. Hopefully we will not be back here in 10 years dicussing another murder case involving BC. Also I don't see the big deal some people are making about the judges comments. Regardless of how some posters seem to think it was the judges call on the custody....it wasn't. That was all BC. I agree with his comments.......disgusting! Take care peeps until the next case.

 

[JusticeFever]

I agree, My Belle, and how can you stand up and object to something you just agreed on? I can't even think of anything remotely close to describe it. It would be like a car salesman selling a car and seeing the customer drive off and then saying we let him have the car too cheap...It was your deal, HC...!! Own it!!