Lincoln County woman sentenced to life for killing Peytona man

By Fred Pace - Coalvalleynews.com

December 13, 2013

MADISON — A Lincoln County woman was sentenced to life in prison with the recommendation of mercy for the killing of a 71-year-old Peytona man in September 2012.

Maura Perry, 22, of Hamlin was accused in the shooting death of Jimmie Cooper, whose body was discovered Sept. 26, 2012, after his co-workers reported that he had not shown up for work.

Perry was sentenced Thursday in Boone County Circuit Court for a first-degree murder conviction and with the mercy recommendation could be eligible for parole after serving at least 15 years.

Perry pleaded guilty last month.

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. Cooper was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head as he lay in his bed in a back room at his home.

At the time of the death, Boone County Sheriff’s deputies reported the decomposing body of Cooper was found inside his trailer home in Peytona. The man had been missing for about a week, police said.

Cooper was first discovered when co-workers were concerned because they had not seen him for several days and failed to report to his job. When checking on Cooper, someone found the door to his residence partially open and notified the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, who checked the home and discovered his body.

The home did show signs of a forced entry and Cooper’s car was missing. The vehicle was recovered in Putnam County, investigators said.

In magistrate court, during a preliminary hearing, a deputy testified that Perry had 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 said Perry said she had been planning to poison Cooper, but she was not able to get the drugs.

Investigators also said that Perry had an ongoing relationship with the victim and stole property after the alleged murder, which she pawned to facilitate her alleged drug usage.

“I did it for cash,” she told the judge during the hearing.

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

Murder Victim's Children Asking For Support For Woman Who Murdered Their Father

By Leslie Rubin - Wchstv.com

November 14, 2013

A Boone County woman, just 22 years old, pleads guilty to first degree murder. Now, the victim's family is asking for mercy for the woman accused of killing their loved one.

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

Tanner remembers her dad, Jimmy Cooper, 72, as a man with music in his heart.

"He could make anyone in the room smile," she said.

Maura Perry, 22, 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. It was days before anyone discovered his body.

"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," Cooper's son, Johnnie Cooper, said.

The family agreed to let the state ask for mercy for Perry, meaning she could be eligible for parole when she's 37 years old. They said they are bothered by the fact that her family has not been in court to support her.

"We have each other and she has nobody and she needs family there," Tanner said.

Cooper was a musician who his family said brought Perry into his home because he felt sorry for her, and to support her when no one else would. Now, they're asking for her family to be by her side as she admits her guilty and faces the consequences.

"We want her to have somebody here with her, so, please, somebody come and support your daughter or your sister, please do that," Tanner said.

Perry will be sentenced in December. If the judge agrees to give her mercy, she will be eligible for parole in 15 years old.

Probable Cause Found in Boone Murder Case

By Jeremy Edwards and Lauren Denney - Wsaz,com

October 9, 2012

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The case against a woman accused of killing an elderly man is moving forward.

Maura Perry appeared in court Tuesday for her preliminary hearing.

Perry is charged with first degree murder in the death of 71 year old Jimmy Cooper at his home in Boone County. Investigators say she shot and killed him to help sustain her drug addiction.

During Tuesday's hearing, a magistrate found probable cause to send the case to a grand jury.

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UPDATE 10/1/12

HAMLIN, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Josh King had a hard time believing a woman he worked side by side with for four months could ever shoot and kill a 71-year-old man.

“A lot of people were surprised by that,” King said. “She was really nice to everybody that came in here, you know. It was just really shocking.”

But that's exactly what the Boone County Sheriff says 20-year-old Maura Perry did. Sometime around Sept. 16, she allegedly walked into Jimmy Cooper's trailer in Peytona, pointed a revolver at the back of his head, and pulled the trigger.

King said that was a far cry from the young woman she knew at the Burger King in Hamlin.

“Just a normal person,” King said. “She knew what she was doing. She was better than some of the people around here.”

Working so close to a murder suspect is something that gives Josh chills.

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

The Boone County Sheriff told us last week this was no random crime. He believed the shooter knew Cooper and was after his prescription drugs -- something that's hard to swallow.

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

King says he knew Maura had problems in her past but nothing he thought would lead to this.

“Just random crazy relationships and drugs,” King said. “But that's about all I know.”

Perry is being held at the Southwestern Regional Jail. We tried to contact her for an interview, but she denied that request.

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UPDATE 9/28/12

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A 20-year-old woman was arrested Friday in connection with the murder of an elderly man whose body was found Wednesday, according to information from the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

Maura Shea Perry, 20, of Hamlin, W.Va., is charged with first-degree murder, which carries a penalty of life in prison.

The body of 71-year-old Jimmie Cooper was first discovered when co-workers were concerned because they had not seen the victim for several days and failed to report to his job.

When checking on Cooper, they found the door to his residence partially open and notified the Sheriff's Office. Deputies checked the home and discovered the victim's body.

Investigators believe that Cooper was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head as he lay in his bed at home.

Investigators believe Perry had an ongoing relationship with the victim and stole property after the murder, which she pawned to support her drug usage, according to information from the news release.

Deputies recovered Cooper's car at a park and ride at Scott Depot, in Putnam County on Thursday, where it had been abandoned. Several items have been recovered from pawn shops in the Kanawha Valley area that belonged to the victim.

Perry has been transported to the Southwestern Regional Jail awaiting arraignment before a Boone County magistrate.

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UPDATE 9/27/12

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The body of 71-year-old murder victim Jimmie Cooper was badly decomposed when deputies found it. The Boone County Sheriff says that could have delayed the case, but thanks to family members, he's already interviewing several people. And while they're not suspects yet, Sheriff Rodney Miller says that could quickly change.

In the meantime: neighbors like Casey Halsted are still trying to accept a crime they never expected.

“It's mind boggling a little bit,” Halsted said.

Cooper’s remains were found late Wednesday night inside his home just off Route 3. Casey says even though Cooper was elderly, he was a fighter.

“He's the type of man wouldn't stand back for nobody,” Halsted said. “He'd stand his ground.”

The Boone County Sheriff says sometime in the last week, someone forced their way inside Coopers home and killed him. He thinks Cooper was targeted.

“We don't think it's something that's random,” Sheriff Miller said. “We don't think it's something that people are going to go from home to home and continue the violence.”

Even for his deputies, cases like this are hard to swallow.

“You've got a 71 year old fellow that was living by himself just trying to live out his life as comfortable as possible,” Sheriff Miller said.

The Sheriff says Cooper was a veteran, and worked as a part time security guard up until he was killed. Neighbors tell WSAZ.com he had also been a minister, and he loved people.

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

Now, Halsted and his family are left trying to make sense of a senseless crime and hoping the killer is brought to justice.

Sheriff Miller says Cooper’s car was found Thursday in Putnam County. His office is investigating how exactly it wound up there.

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UPDATE 9/27/2012

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The name of an elderly man found dead in a trailer in Peytona in Boone County has been released.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department tells WSAZ.com Jimmie Cooper, 71, was found late Wednesday night.

Cooper had not been heard from or seen since last Thursday. His car was missing, but it has been recovered in Putnam County.

Sheriff Miller tells WSAZ.com they are not sure how Cooper died but they did find signs of forced entry at his home.

Miller says they are treating the case as a homicide.

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UPDATE 9/27/2012

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Police are investigating the death of an elderly man at a trailer in Peytona in Boone County.

Boone County Sheriff Rodney Miller says the body of a 71-year-old man was found late Wednesday night.

The man had not been heard from or seen since last Thursday. His car was missing, but it has been recovered in Putnam County.

Sheriff Miller tells WSAZ.com they are not sure how the man died but they did find signs of forced entry.

Miller says they are treating the scene as a homicide.

The man's name has not been released because deputies are trying to get in touch with his family.

Miller says investigators are currently conducting interviews in the case.

The man's body has been sent to the state medical examiner's office in Charleston for an autopsy.

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ORIGINAL STORY

BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Investigators are on the scene of a house where human remains were found inside a Trailer in Boone County.

Police at the scene say they were called to the trailer in Peytona, just off Route 3 about 11:30 p.m. to investigate.

Boone County Sheriff's Deputies, West Virginia State Police and a crime scene unit are at the trailer right now.

No other information about the situation is being released.

Maura Perry

The scene of the alleged murder (Photo courtesy of Fred Pace). Inset: The accused, Maura Shea Perry (wvrja.com image).

Maura Perry