State v Bradley Cooper 04/01/11

[SleuthyGal]

WELCOME obsessive!

I'm obsessed with this case too (as if that weren't patently obvious :wink

BTW, I don't get involved in every case...there's only a small handful over the years that have grabbed me and refused to let go. This became one of them.

 

[raisincharlie]

Actually it was the day after the body was found so I agree. If they found that straw grass on Saturday it would have been significant. On Tuesday it's hard to tell how many people may have gone to visit the site where she was found before coming to that house. I'm not talking law enforcement. I mean friends and acquaintances.

How would those friends and acquaintances get to the scene of where Nancy was found ? LE had it roped off, had officers at the scene around the clock. The officer that saw the "haystraw" on the carpet had been assigned to guard that location prior to being called to BC's house. He also testified about his location while on the Fielding Drive scene and the fact he did not get out of the car. If it can be linked to the crime scene, it does mean something, we know it did not come from BC's yard considering the photos. It is also safe to assume there was more than one location in the Cary area that may have had been undergoing re-seeding.

I don't see any way possible for friends and or others to have tracked that haystraw into BC's house, nor the police for that matter.

 

[RaleighNative]

A bit off topic, but we were discussing Amanda Lamb's true crime books earlier. I should state she only has two crime books out; one on Ann Miller and the other on Stephanie Bennett.

I had followed the Ann Miller because Ann and Eric were actually involved in my pre-marriage counseling church.

I read Deadly Dose, and for lack of a better word, here's why I think it sucked:

-Everything in the book was directly out of the N&O and WRAL archives on the case
-The only new information to me was that Ann Miller had a boob job (who cares?)
-The book was composed of the news archives and Amanda Lamb interviewing ONE retired detective.
-That detective is a showboat. I'm not saying he isn't a good detective, but he's a showboat who LOVES the press.
-Amanda Lamb did not present any information from friends, church-goers, colleagues, families of either Ann or Eric Miller.
-Her physical descriptions went on and on and on. She seems obsessed with physical descriptions, and seems to dig people on their physical appearence. I thought it was odd, and then I paid more attention to Amanda Lamb in interviews. She is thin and attactive, but looks anorexic to me. Then suddenly her obsession of physical appearances did not seem odd, if she herself is obsessed with her own.

She does have a second book on the Stephanie Bennett case, which I was really interested in because I lived on Lake Lynn after college, and have met the detective who cracked the Bennett case through a mutual friend. However, I found "Deadly Dose" so distasteful I decided against the purchase.

 

[SleuthyGal]

NCSU,

Yes I agree the Coopers were in a highly dysfunctional relationship and yes, they did feed off each other. It was a bad match and became untenable. And instead of just ending it and each moving on to build happier lives with better partners, it came crashing to a tragic and needless end.

The level of dysfunction, anger, passive-aggressiveness, hatred and all of it only provides more 'motive' for Brad to want to rid himself of his wife, the financial constraints from a divorce, and the bitter/angry confrontations. Yes, he did have motive. I can't pretend otherwise. He clearly did.

He also had opportunity and that is not disputed.

And we know he had the strength and capability of strangling her (the means).

That doesn't mean the state has proved the legal case yet (they haven't). Yet.

But to say *nothing* so far has been shown to point towards guilt is simply not correct.

 

[raisincharlie]

Nancy called her R.E. agent at 10:23am JULY 10, 2008 and told him she needed to get a place for herself immediately! She said it was urgent!

2 days later...she was murdered.

JMO - the prosecution has now presented a big tip of the ice berg with respect to motive. I have a feeling we are going to find out just how a woman without finncial means of her own could possibley afford to seek help finding a place of her own. I think this phone call is extremely significant and will be tied into computer data and email.

 

[cityslick]

How would those friends and acquaintances get to the scene of where Nancy was found ? LE had it roped off, had officers at the scene around the clock. The officer that saw the "haystraw" on the carpet had been assigned to guard that location prior to being called to BC's house. He also testified about his location while on the Fielding Drive scene and the fact he did not get out of the car. If it can be linked to the crime scene, it does mean something, we know it did not come from BC's yard considering the photos. It is also safe to assume there was more than one location in the Cary area that may have had been undergoing re-seeding.

I don't see any way possible for friends and or others to have tracked that haystraw into BC's house, nor the police for that matter.

Was the rug not photographed prior to the 15th?

 

[Cheyenne130]

How would those friends and acquaintances get to the scene of where Nancy was found ? LE had it roped off, had officers at the scene around the clock. The officer that saw the "haystraw" on the carpet had been assigned to guard that location prior to being called to BC's house. He also testified about his location while on the Fielding Drive scene and the fact he did not get out of the car. If it can be linked to the crime scene, it does mean something, we know it did not come from BC's yard considering the photos. It is also safe to assume there was more than one location in the Cary area that may have had been undergoing re-seeding.

I don't see any way possible for friends and or others to have tracked that haystraw into BC's house, nor the police for that matter.

Understood. I was basing it on what we know so far about this officer observing the straw grass. We don't know who collected it or if it was analyzed. My guess, and this is only a guess, is that Det. Daniels will testify about this piece of evidence but the foundation needed to be laid (lain?) concerning how if was found and by whom. I didn't want to make any other assumptions at this point since it was only introduced today as being "noted". With it being only noted, I was trying to look at it from a defense perspective and what they will be likely to say.

 

[raisincharlie]

Was the rug not photographed prior to the 15th?

Let me just throw this out - on 12 July Brad was wearing (HT video) a pair of shoes that were not found even to this day, on July 12th LE did not look in the boot of BC's car. We have seat covers that were washed, what we don't know is when those were washed. There are plenty of possible sources considering that once Nancy went missing BC kept his car in the garage out of site.

 

[less0305]

I know NC told her mother it was more than a one-night-stand, but haven't heard it from anyone else (though I could be wrong).

Maybe it was a long-term "emotional" affair and the only "physical" affair was the romp in the closet????

Kissing, fondling on one instance in the car, oral sex in the car on a different date followed up with a romp in the closet on a different date. Any sexual contact more than once constitutes an ongoing affair to me and not a one-night stand or one-time thing.

 

[raisincharlie]

Understood. I was basing it on what we know so far about this officer observing the straw grass. We don't know who collected it or if it was analyzed. My guess, and this is only a guess, is that Det. Daniels will testify about this piece of evidence but the foundation needed to be laid (lain?) concerning how if was found and by whom. I didn't want to make any other assumptions at this point since it was only introduced today as being "noted". With it being only noted, I was trying to look at it from a defense perspective and what they will be likely to say.

Gotcha - I agree, the defense will take that line of questioning. I think they collect ideas from out and about.


:seeya:

 

[cityslick]

Let me just throw this out - on 12 July Brad was wearing (HT video) a pair of shoes that were not found even to this day, on July 12th LE did not look in the boot of BC's car. We have seat covers that were washed, what we don't know is when those were washed. There are plenty of possible sources considering that once Nancy went missing BC kept his car in the garage out of site.

I guess I'm looking at it from the perspective of at what point would the straw have gotten there and still not noticed by anyone. We don't know yet what kind of testing was done on the straw, how common was that straw in the area, etc. Because it only showed up on the 15th, it's entirely possible that the straw can be found on fielding drive but also in a lot of other areas around Cary. Then that brings into question who tracked it in there (BC, LE, friends)

 

[Cheyenne130]

JMO - the prosecution has now presented a big tip of the ice berg with respect to motive. I have a feeling we are going to find out just how a woman without finncial means of her own could possibley afford to seek help finding a place of her own. I think this phone call is extremely significant and will be tied into computer data and email.

Interesting observation. It was a morning call on Thursday. Based on testimony we know she ran on Thursday. (On the treadmill at LTF maybe?) I wish now that I had taken notes. I would love to know the details of her schedule for that week and in particular, what led her to that call of desperation on Thursday morning? Less than 24 hours later Brad says he was buying a drop cloth for her to help her out with the painting at JA's? I had said before that she must have told Brad of her plans to paint on Saturday because he bought the drop cloth on Friday morning. But that surely does match up with a call to the realtor on Thursday morning that basically said, "Get me out of here!!!!!" MOO

 

[Ovechkin]

Just curious why people find it so horrible that BC had an affair when NC hadnt had sex with him since before the birth of their 2nd child? Also, not sure I unerstand why NC would be bothered by the fact that he did when she didnt want to be with him sexually.

 

[SleuthyGal]

Just curious why people find it so horrible that BC had an affair when NC hadnt had sex with him since before the birth of their 2nd child? Also, not sure I unerstand why NC would be bothered by the fact that he did when she didnt want to be with him sexually.

Marriage vows being broken? I think that is one issue. With someone Nancy considered her best friend? I'd suggest that's another issue.

Why didn't Brad just divorce Nancy and move on? She didn't want him; he didn't want her; they didn't get along. Cheating solves nothing in terms of a marriage.

 

[cityslick]

Marriage vows being broken? I think that is one issue. With someone Nancy considered her best friend? I'd suggest that's another issue.

Why didn't Brad just divorce Nancy and move on? She didn't want him; he didn't want her; they didn't get along. Cheating solves nothing in terms of a marriage.

Why did she stop sleeping with him 2 years ago though? Doesn't excuse the affair, I think the poster is trying to say he wasn't getting nothing at home which is what led him down the 'affair' path (if that was the only one).

 

[Cheyenne130]

Why did she stop sleeping with him 2 years ago though? Doesn't excuse the affair, I think the poster is trying to say he wasn't getting nothing at home which is what led him down the 'affair' path (if that was the only one).

How do we know when they stopped sleeping together?

 

[Ovechkin]

Marriage vows being broken? I think that is one issue. With someone Nancy considered her best friend? I'd suggest that's another issue.

Why didn't Brad just divorce Nancy and move on? She didn't want him; he didn't want her; they didn't get along. Cheating solves nothing in terms of a marriage.

I wouldn't want to leave my kids either... She had affairs as well. Just saying.

 

[RaleighNative]

Why did she stop sleeping with him 2 years ago though? Doesn't excuse the affair, I think the poster is trying to say he wasn't getting nothing at home which is what led him down the 'affair' path (if that was the only one).

I've thought the same thing. I've known married people whose spouse has a mistress, to their full knowledge, and could care less.

But my thought is NC viewed her affair as a one-time drunken fling, and viewed BC's affair with her best friend as the ultimate betrayal.

It's not logical, but none of us are always logical.

 

[raisincharlie]

Interesting observation. It was a morning call on Thursday. Based on testimony we know she ran on Thursday. (On the treadmill at LTF maybe?) I wish now that I had taken notes. I would love to know the details of her schedule for that week and in particular, what led her to that call of desperation on Thursday morning? Less than 24 hours later Brad says he was buying a drop cloth for her to help her out with the painting at JA's? I had said before that she must have told Brad of her plans to paint on Saturday because he bought the drop cloth on Friday morning. But that surely does match up with a call to the realtor on Thursday morning that basically said, "Get me out of here!!!!!" MOO

From the point of the prosecution, I can find no other reason for this realtor to have been called other than to state Nancy called him on the 10th saying she needed her own place NOW. Had the defense called him, I can see a big point for them - they never looked over off of Fielding Drive for a house.

You see any other reason ?

 

[Cheyenne130]

From the point of the prosecution, I can find no other reason for this realtor to have been called other than to state Nancy called him on the 10th saying she needed her own place NOW. Had the defense called him, I can see a big point for them - they never looked over off of Fielding Drive for a house.

You see any other reason ?

They never looked off of Fielding Drive but Brad has searches on his computer in the early morning hours of July 12th for that area? That's another possible reason that I've seen thrown out there.