GUILTY FL - Steven & Michelle Andrews, both 28, murdered, Fort Myers, 27 Dec 2005

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nanandjim said:
If the evidence is not clear cut, I would think that the accused would want a speedy trial. Why on earth would he (and his lawyer) want him to spend three years in prison if there were a good chance of his being found not guilty? That doesn't make sense to me at all.

Unfortunately, Fred Cooper is the one with the biggest motive. Heck, Fred's girlfriend left their home to meet up with Steve and have sex with him. She was pressuring Steve to leave his wife. They had plans to move in together after the holidays. Where would that leave Fred and his mother?

I think Fred acted in a fit of rage. His motorcycle was seen at a gas station near Steve's home that evening. Fred destroyed his jacket before it was found by detectives. Why would he do that??

Many of Fred's actions were that of a guilty person.

The saddest thing is that countless lives were ruined because of his manipulative girlfriend, Kelley Ballew. I feel certain that if Fred could do it all over again, he would never have committed this crime. However, what is done is done.

I don't know the evidence either. He may be found guilty, or he may walk. However, it's high time that this trial begin to give the victims' families some type of closure. It's unfair to continue to drag this on any longer.
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Nan, we're on the same page on this crime. IMO, Fred's had more than enough time to have his defense prepared. That's one excuse he can't use very easily on appeal.
 
Actually, here in Florida, we have State Attorney's as opposed to District Attorney's as prosecutors - just helping make things more fuzzy! :crazy:
 
A few new details in the Gateway murder case:

Gateway murders: Killer may have moved bodies

http://www.abc-7.com/articles/readnews.asp?articleid=20063&z=2

snip

The investigator, Samuel Johnson wrote that Michelle was involved in a struggle which began on the right side of the bed.
He said the struggle moved to the floor where there were blood stains on the carpet. He writes once she was subdued, she was cleaned and moved to the position in which she was found.

Johnson writes Steven was lying on the bed with his head turned to the right, his arms underneath him when he was shot. He believes Steven was on the bed for a while and was later pushed onto the floor.
Johnson backs up that statement in his report:
"I believe that the male decedent was moved at a later time, based on the blood stains on his back, and the lack of stain on his lower back and lower extremities, those stains more than likely came from the pillow that was next to him."
The investigator also believes some of the blood on the walls of the bedroom came from a person swinging their hands while soaked in blood.
 
I remember this case when it happened. I just started reading it last night when I notice it had been bumped back up. I cannot believe this still hasn't gone to trial! I wonder why the struggle with her, and why he didn't just shoot her too. She suffered much more than her husband. It is almost as though Cooper wants to punish her for not being a good enough wife so that her husband had to cheat. He was more angry at her than Andrew. IMO.
 
I was just pondering the same thing yesterday. I was wondering if perhaps he walked in and shot the husband, unintentionally waking the wife. Perhaps there was no intention of harming her but she attacked him in what she thought was a battle for her life after hearing her husband get shot and the killer killed her in what started as simply an effort to protect himself.
 
I think that he probably was going to kill them both. Pop...pop...Then, be gone. Maybe, he would even have staged it as a murder/suicide. I just do not see him shooting Steve and leaving Michelle alive. If that doesn't scream, motive...I don't know what would...

I also think that his gun jammed; and she fought ferociously for her life, causing him to beat her to death.

I also think that the discovery that Michelle's battered face/arms were cleaned indicates criminal savvy person wants to remove his DNA from her. The perp had to know that is blood/sweat could be tested.

She was posed at the end of the bed. What a sick, sick guy. I guess that this staging was another way to throw off the cop's as to the killer's real identity.

If Fred was so innocent, why did he destroy his camoflauge jacket when police came to retrieve it?
 
nanandjim said:
I think that he probably was going to kill them both. Pop...pop...Then, be gone. Maybe, he would even have staged it as a murder/suicide. I just do not see him shooting Steve and leaving Michelle alive. If that doesn't scream, motive...I don't know what would...

I also think that his gun jammed; and she fought ferociously for her life, causing him to beat her to death.

I also think that the discovery that Michelle's battered face/arms were cleaned indicates criminal savvy person wants to remove his DNA from her. The perp had to know that is blood/sweat could be tested.

She was posed at the end of the bed. What a sick, sick guy. I guess that this staging was another way to throw off the cop's as to the killer's real identity.

If Fred was so innocent, why did he destroy his camoflauge jacket when police came to retrieve it?
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I don't know why he cut the lining out of his jacket. But he put it in the trash at work, and LE retrieved it and tested it. Nothing was on it.

The motorcycle at the gas station could be anybody. There is no way to identify who it is, or whether or not it's Fred's bike. It drove through and didn't stop. If it was Fred, why in the world would he do that? He should have been rushing to and from a murder, not joy riding through a convenience store parking log with survellience cameras. I doubt it was him.
 
Garnan said:
I don't know why he cut the lining out of his jacket. But he put it in the trash at work, and LE retrieved it and tested it. Nothing was on it.

The motorcycle at the gas station could be anybody. There is no way to identify who it is, or whether or not it's Fred's bike. It drove through and didn't stop. If it was Fred, why in the world would he do that? He should have been rushing to and from a murder, not joy riding through a convenience store parking log with survellience cameras. I doubt it was him.
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1. *Why* would Fred have placed himself with Michelle around the time of the murders by his own admission if he was innocent? He knew they probably had DNA evidence against him and so fabricated a story about consentual sex with her in the back seat of her vehicle (no evidence was found and a child's car seat was in the middle of the back seat of the car). There is absolutely *no* evidence that they knew each other. Why would a person suspected of a crime of this nature want to place themselves anywhere near the victims around the time of the killings???

2. Why did Fred have defensive-type wounds to his hands, arms and face immediately following the murders?

3. The surveillance video places him in the vicinity around the time of the murders as do multiple witnesses. The videotape was analyzed very closely and it's highly unlikely that there were two identical bikes with similar people (same build, helmet, clothing) in the immediate area at the same time.

4. Why was Michelle's murder relatively more brutal and why the posing of her body in that fashion? I think it is very likely that his gun jammed and he had to resort to brute physical force which led to a very violent struggle. If he did rape her or attempt to rape her he didn't leave any secretions behind that could be positively identified as coming from him- personally I think it is unlikely that he raped her, that wasn't his motive and IIRC none of his priors have included violence or force against women. I believe he may have posed her in the fashion he did after some brief panicked thought to make it *appear* to be a sexual crime, it is fairly common knowledge that this is an often used tactic of rapists to humiliate and dehumanize the bodies of their victims and he may have done so in an effort to throw LE off the track. He was also probably angry with her- angry that she was fighting back with such force, angry that she was married to the man he was exacting revenge against, angry that he didn't get an opportunity to unleash that anger on Steven himself since he was already dead. He *may* have also attempted to rape her and failed, causing him to humiliate her body after her death as he had been humiliated by not being able to perform. I think this scenario is likely since he attempted to place himself and Michelle together having legitimate sexual intercourse at the time of the murders- he wasn't sure if LE would be able to get evidence of intercourse or attempted intercourse or not.

5. Why did he contact a realtor and attempt to get the gate code for the subdivision where Michelle and Steven lived?

There could be several reasons why a person would ride through a gas station without stopping. Perhaps he was using it as a turn-around. Perhaps he was going to stop and quickly decided not to because he thought of the possibility of cameras. In any case, he slipped up.

He attempted to destroy the jacket lining because he *thought* LE may be able to get some physical evidence off of it, they didn't. Doesn't mean it wasn't worn during the commission of a crime by a murderer. Why else would he have attempted to destroy it at work? He knew he was under surveillance.

He is now delaying his trial in the hopes of living longer since he knows they've got him. In the mean time the prosecution's case is getting tighter and tighter.

Just some thoughts.

This case is very compelling and I'm surprised national media never picked it up and ran with it. It really has everything. Looking at the pictures of Michelle and Steven, knowing only the surface stuff- the upper middle class home, the decent income, the polished exterior; you would never guess that their lives contained such secrets.

RIP Michelle and Steven
 
reefshadow said:
1. *Why* would Fred have placed himself with Michelle around the time of the murders by his own admission if he was innocent? He knew they probably had DNA evidence against him and so fabricated a story about consentual sex with her in the back seat of her vehicle (no evidence was found and a child's car seat was in the middle of the back seat of the car).Which car did they search? The one outside that was Steven's new car or Michelle's in the garage? There is absolutely *no* evidence that they knew each other. Why would a person suspected of a crime of this nature want to place themselves anywhere near the victims around the time of the killings???
So far we haven't heard this man say he had sex with her. We heard a detective say he did, and it was maybe the same detective that said he wasn't home when Kellie came home from having sex with Stephen. That their little girl was being taken care of by the man's mother. This wasn't true...so how do we know (yet) that the sex claim is true. They did know each other.......they were at parties together.....and their spouses worked together. Cooper never denied that. He said he did know them, but the detective swore he denied knowing them.
2. Why did Fred have defensive-type wounds to his hands, arms and face immediately following the murders? Because he worked on motorcycles all day Monday.
3. The surveillance video places him in the vicinity around the time of the murders as do multiple witnesses. The videotape was analyzed very closely and it's highly unlikely that there were two identical bikes with similar people (same build, helmet, clothing) in the immediate area at the same time.
It can't even be determined if that is a male of female on the video tape.
It does seem strange that someone swooped by a cam to be filmed.4. Why was Michelle's murder relatively more brutal and why the posing of her body in that fashion? I think it is very likely that his gun jammed and he had to resort to brute physical force which led to a very violent struggle. If he did rape her or attempt to rape her he didn't leave any secretions behind that could be positively identified as coming from him- personally I think it is unlikely that he raped her, that wasn't his motive and IIRC none of his priors have included violence or force against women. I believe he may have posed her in the fashion he did after some brief panicked thought to make it *appear* to be a sexual crime, it is fairly common knowledge that this is an often used tactic of rapists to humiliate and dehumanize the bodies of their victims and he may have done so in an effort to throw LE off the track. He was also probably angry with her- angry that she was fighting back with such force, angry that she was married to the man he was exacting revenge against, angry that he didn't get an opportunity to unleash that anger on Steven himself since he was already dead. He *may* have also attempted to rape her and failed, causing him to humiliate her body after her death as he had been humiliated by not being able to perform. I think this scenario is likely since he attempted to place himself and Michelle together having legitimate sexual intercourse at the time of the murders- he wasn't sure if LE would be able to get evidence of intercourse or attempted intercourse or not.
All this "smartness" from a person who came back to the scene in the same jacket? What about the fact that Steven died up to three hours before Michelle? Explain that. What was going on in that time? Did the same person kill the two? I don't think so.

5. Why did he contact a Realtor and attempt to get the gate code for the subdivision where Michelle and Steven lived? The ID of him being in the realtor's office is so weak I can't believe the Judge let it in. (which shows bias) This lady didn't come forward when the murders occurred and say a stranger tried to get the code. But three or four weeks later, after she sees his picture on TV and in the paper about a thousand times...SHE STILL CAN'T PICK him out of six pictures. If you listen to the tape of the interview...she says, oh my goodness, it could be any of them. It could be number three or number five, maybe. The detective then says, so you think it's number three. That my friend is leading. Why didn't he say, so you think it could be number five? Because number five wasn't Cooper. So after the detective helps her zero in on a person she has seen numerous times on TV as "The One"........she still says, but I can't be positive. If she came forward on Dec. 27 or about, and described the person who asked for a code instead of waiting until his likeness is plastered everywhere ten times a day, then maybe she would be believable.
There could be several reasons why a person would ride through a gas station without stopping. Perhaps he was using it as a turn-around. Perhaps he was going to stop and quickly decided not to because he thought of the possibility of cameras. In any case, he slipped up. Or was set up.
He attempted to destroy the jacket lining because he *thought* LE may be able to get some physical evidence off of it, they didn't. Doesn't mean it wasn't worn during the commission of a crime by a murderer. Why else would he have attempted to destroy it at work? He knew he was under surveillance.
Maybe because he was an ex-con, he just found out Kellie was having an affair with Steven, and he knew now they thought he did it. He told them it was his blood on the jacket if blood was there. But to keep from getting arrested until they find out, he tried to take it off. If it had blood on it, and he did this, don't you think the jacket would be gone just like the gun? Even Kellie said he had the black jacket on that day.

He is now delaying his trial in the hopes of living longer since he knows they've got him. In the mean time the prosecution's case is getting tighter and tighter. The SA is the one that asked for the last delay, and both sides asked for the one before. He would have loved an speedy trial, but when you have to use a PD, the PD has no time to work on your case. They are way overloaded.
Just some thoughts.

This case is very compelling and I'm surprised national media never picked it up and ran with it. It really has everything. Looking at the pictures of Michelle and Steven, knowing only the surface stuff- the upper middle class home, the decent income, the polished exterior; you would never guess that their lives contained such secrets.


RIP Michelle and Steven
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I'm new on this thread, but I just want to state that there are those who are waiting for the trial to see what other evidence there is. What I've seen so far does not convict IMO.
 
I remember when this happened and there aren't many days that go by that I don't think about that sweet little boy....

Thank you for all of the updates....
 
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/aug/18/gateway-killing-coopers-defense-introduces-michell/

updares from recent hearing, some information on what the defence may be going with

trial date for October still stands, I have been waiting a vey long time for this to wind its way slowly but surely to court, I remember seeing photos of the little boy in blood drenched socks taken the day he was found in the home having been in the bedroom where his parents had been brutally murdered, the state seems to have a good case against Cooper so I hope for all involved it finally gets resolved
 
joe jones said:
I remember seeing photos of the little boy in blood drenched socks taken the day he was found in the home having been in the bedroom where his parents had been brutally murdered...
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That's horrific. I never saw those photos thankfully. I pray for that little boy.
 
joejones said:
http://www.naplesnews.com/photos/galleries/2006/feb/23/gateway_killings_crime_scene_photos/

crime scene photos, a bit of hyperbole on my part when I said the 2 year olds socks were drenched in blood, but you can see blood on his socks from where he went into the bedroom and walked in his parents blood, I hope he was too young for any lasting memories of the crime scene to have stayed with him
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The deputy responding to the call did not notice the blood on his socks....she talked to the 911 operator and said everything seems fine, the parents must be upstairs asleep. Then she said she did not let the little boy go in the room....I think she even said the door was closed. I wonder when he got the blood on his socks. If she did let him in the room, she might not be able to own up to that fact. I just pray he wasn't in that room long and since his hands were clean, maybe he just walked in with the deputy and was wisked away quickly.
 
I think I read on one of the news sites that the little boy went into his parents room, it will be a part of the defence that he disturbed the crime scene, as blood was found in rooms other than the bedroom where he had walked it

it will be hard for the state to say whether the killer deposited blood in the other rooms, or did the child do it, this will all be argued out at trial
 
rccook555 said:
Thank you for the update!
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No problem, rc. This paper will have streaming coverage starting momentarily!

http://news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll...S01/810030367/1075&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

"The families of Michelle and Steven Andrews are in the courtroom this morning sitting in the second row with a victim's advocate from the state attorney's office.

Operators from TruTV, formerly CourtTV, are testing their equipment and setting up.

The cable station has a camera set up near the jury box on the right side of the courtroom. Wires, tapes, a soundboard and other video and audio equipment are cluttering the back rows near where the jurors will sit."
 
http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/llnews.aspx?articleID=9111&bnpg=1

FORT MYERS (AP) -- A deputy who responded to a 911 call three years ago described finding a 2-year-old boy holding a phone as his parents lay brutally slain upstairs as the trial for the man accused of killing the couple began Friday.

Fred Dewitt Cooper Jr., 30, has been charged with armed burglary and two counts of first-degree murder in the Christmastime deaths of Steven and Michelle Andrews. She had been beaten and strangled. Her husband was shot in the head.

Deputy Tracie Lodato knocked on the Andrews' front door and didn't get an answer. She was about to go to the backyard when the boy appeared, a phone in hand, Assistant State Attorney Anthony Kunasek said.

He pointed upstairs, and when they reached the top of the stairs, Lodato saw one of the mother's feet through a doorway and told the boy to hurry. "He jumped into my arms," Lodato said.

Prosecutors said witnesses, DNA and other evidence will show that Cooper was responsible for the crimes. They said Cooper's girlfriend was having an affair with Steven Andrews. Prosecutors said Cooper's girlfriend had told him their relationship was over.
 
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