Attorneys for Nancy Cooper's husband have set up a website in hopes of helping the murder investigation. The website has the few details that have been released so far, in addition to a couple of maps of the area in which Nancy Cooper lived and where her body was found.
In a press release Friday, Kurtz & Blum said they are only posting information on the site that police have previously released to avoid compromising the investigation.
"We are reaching out in this way in an attempt to bring 21st century communication techniques to bear and to help motivate any possible witnesses to speak now," the release said.
Nancy was last seen by her husband leaving for a morning jog at about 7am on July 12, 2008. On July 14th, her body was found in a drainage pond by a man walking his dog. Not many details have been released in the case, and no suspects have been named as of yet.
You can view the website here.
Website Set Up In Hopes Of Helping Cooper Murder Investigation
Nancy Cooper Murder Investigation: Search Warrants Will Remain Sealed
A Superior Court Judge ruled today that the search warrants in the Nancy Cooper murder investigation will remain sealed. In an effort to keep important details from becoming public knowledge and possibly hindering the investigation or keeping a defendant from having a fair trial, the search warrants will remain sealed until mid to late August. At which time, prosecutors may ask that they remain sealed even longer.
Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby asked that no part of the warrants be released, saying that keeping the information private at this point in the investigation is crucial to the case.
"It may be of the nature that would alert someone who is an offender as to what evidence law enforcement has," Willoughby said. "It may alert an offender as to what evidence law enforcement is seeking."
Authorities have said they do not believe Cooper's slaying was a random crime but that they have not named a suspect or person of interest in the case. They've said little else about the case since then.
Three search warrants were the topic of Thursday's hearing.
One is regarding a July 16 search for Cooper's house and vehicles as well as DNA evidence from her husband, Brad Cooper. A second one, issued July 21, allowed police to search Brad Cooper's office on the Research Triangle Park campus of Cisco Systems Inc.. A third warrant, dated July 25, does not specify a search location.
Police have indicated they believe the crime was isolated. They say Brad Cooper has been cooperative in the investigation.
New Search Warrants Issued In The Nancy Cooper Murder Investigation
Police have issued two new search warrants in the murder investigation of Nancy Cooper. The search warrants are sealed, but sources say one of the warrants is for Nancy's husband's office at Cisco Systems.
This speaks volumes about where the case is heading. The warrant doesn't say much in writing, but it's speculated that the search will include computers within the office. The police have said that the warrants are sealed to protect the investigation and give a defendant a fair trial.
In order for a search warrant to be issued for a separate place, there has to be probable cause for the judge to believe that an individual was connected with the commission of the crime and evidence will be found there. This says a lot about Brad Cooper and his possible involvement in this murder.
It's pretty clear now that he's a suspect. Not just a person of interest, but a suspect.
Police still have not named a suspect in the case, nor any persons of interest, but a hearing on unsealing the warrants will take place on Thursday.
Nothing New In The Nancy Cooper Murder Investigation
There have been no developments in the Nancy Cooper murder investigation as of late. The last update on the investigation was last week when police handed out flyers near Nancy's home in the hopes of finding someone who knows something.
Police still haven't released any details of their findings from a search done on the home and vehicles she shared with her husband, Brad Cooper. The details of how she died are still being kept a secret also. Speculation surrounds her husband, since he was the last person to see her alive and they were having marital difficulties. Brad Cooper has stated his innocence and his willingness to cooperate with authorities to find her killer. The couple's two children are currently residing in Canada with Nancy's family. The custody order is in effect until October.
I'm very curious to know just exactly what the police found at their residence. Did she even leave the house at 7am like her husband said? Did the police make Brad submit to DNA testing to rule him out, or rule him in? Why haven't they given any details of the autopsy to Brad's attorneys? Is it because they know he's at fault, and they want to build a stronger case against him? You would think that if they weren't suspecting the husband, his attorneys would have access to her autopsy reports, wouldn't you?
So many questions, and not enough answers. Until police release more information, we all just have to wait. It's truly a sad, sad situation. Lives are lost. Lives are ruined, and for what? That answer remains to be heard.
Nancy Cooper's Family Retains Temporary Custody Of Her Two Daughters
The judge presiding over the custody hearing today between Nancy Cooper's family and her husband, continued the case until October 13th. Nancy's family will retain custody of the girls until then, with a few conditions imposed:
- counseling for the children to begin as soon as reasonable.
- The children are not to be in a car with Donna Rentz (Nancy's mother). In his affidavit, Brad said that Donna was not a safe or reliable driver.
- The girls are not to be around any dogs. One of the girls has an allergy to dogs.
- Brad will be allowed contact with the girls a minimum of four times a week via telephone or webcam, to last a minimum of fifteen minutes.
- Brad will be allowed two supervised weekend visits before October. He will be allowed four hours a day.
Both sides seem to be happy with the decision. Brad's attorneys said in a statement late today that he is pleased with the decision because it will mean his children will be shielded from the investigation.
"While he will miss the daily joys of fatherhood, he fully intends to remain a vital force in his children's lives," the statement said. "Though it is painful to contemplate any additional day without his girls, Mr. Cooper accepts this as a heart-rending but necessary step toward achieving justice."
Brad Cooper is still seeking the release of Nancy's autopsy report. He feels that the results will help him defend himself against the insinuations that he had anything to do with her murder.
The police are remaining quiet on many details of the homicide, especially the way she was killed. The only thing they have said is that the murder was not random. So far, no one has been named as a suspect or even a person of interest in the crime.
Brad Cooper: "I Cheated. But So Did She."
In an affidavit filed Wednesday, the husband of the murdered jogger in North Carolina tells about his troubled marriage, saying that he cheated, and claiming that his wife did too.
"Three years ago, I made a mistake while married to Nancy. I had a single indiscretion and slept with another woman one time," said Cooper. "I deeply regretted [and still regret] that it happened."
Brad does not disclose the name of the woman he had the affair with in the affidavit, but in an affidavit filed by his wife's friends, the woman is identified at Heather Heider-Metour.
Nancy Cooper's friends and family have pointed fingers at her husband since her body was found. They say he was abusive to her, denying money for things her and the children needed. They say he even threatened suicide at one point, though he denies that.
In his affidavit, Brad states that Nancy had an affair herself about the same time he revealed his indiscretion. "Nancy admitted that she also had an extramarital relationship while married to me, four years ago," Cooper said in the document. "Nancy insisted that she did nothing wrong, that her relationship with the other man only happened once, it wasn't sexual and that no one even knew his name."
The Coopers were attending marriage counselling, but in April 2008, Nancy prepared a separation agreement. As of her death, Brad had not signed the agreement.
Brad Cooper Wants Autopsy Reports Released
The twists and turns continue in the Nancy Cooper murder investigation. Allegations of extra-marital affairs involving both Brad and Nancy abound as things heat up in the battle over custody of the couple's two daughters. Another custody hearing is scheduled for this Friday when Nancy's family will ask a judge to extend their custody arrangements for the two girls. Brad intends to prove that he is fit and should have his children back.
When Nancy Cooper's body was first discovered, her family filed for and was granted emergency custody of the two girls. They convinced a judge that Brad was unstable, and possibly a danger to his children. Their claims of infidelity in the marriage and emotional abuse toward Nancy were enough to convince the judge.
Now, Brad is fighting back with claims of infidelity on Nancy's part as well. Also, one of the members of council for Nancy's family was retained by Nancy herself in a possible separation/divorce proceeding before her death. Brad's attorneys have filed a motion to have Alice Stubbs removed as the family's council, citing a conflict of interest in the case because of her ties to Nancy before she died.
In another twist, attorney's for Brad Cooper have said that the information Stubbs received from Nancy during their separation agreement makes Stubbs a witness rather than council in the case. Citing the ruling of the highly publicized murder case of Eric Miller, where a judge forced an attorney to reveal his client's confession after he committed suicide, Brad's attorneys say that Stubbs' information from Nancy should be revealed also. Attorney-client privileges do not exceed death in some cases, is their argument.
In the case of the autopsy report, Brad's attorneys have not been told the cause of death. Brad wants the autopsy report released. He and his attorneys feel it is critical to challenge the "unsubstantiated insinuations that he played a role in Nancy Cooper's death. So far, the report has not been released.
As of yet, no suspects have been named in the case, and a custody hearing for the children is scheduled for this Friday.
Judge Orders Search Warrant Records Sealed in the Nancy Cooper Murder Investigation
Normally, search warrant records are available to the public as soon as detectives finish the inventory of items collected, but no so in the case of murdered mother of two, Nancy Cooper. Police are being very quiet about what they found in their search, and about the cause of Cooper's death. Judge Donald Stephens said it could jeopardize prospects for a fair trial.
Whose trial, we don't know yet. Police have not named a suspect in the case yet.
Police Release 911 Tapes in Nancy Cooper Murder Investigation
Police released the 911 recordings made by a friend of Nancy Cooper's, to report her missing and the man who found her body floating in a drainage pond some three miles from her home.
The worried friend called police to report her missing, saying she was worried. "The fact that her car is still at home and her cellphone is there is a little weird. That does not make sense," she told police.
Nancy's husband, Brad, had told the friend six hours earlier that she hadn't come home from an early morning jog with a friend he didn't know.
In another call two days later, a man out walking his dog tells police that he found a body but couldn't get a good look at it. "I think she's dead. I didn't see her move," he said.
Cary police still have not named any suspects in Nancy's murder. The details of her death are still be kept quiet, namely just exactly how she died. Brad Cooper still maintains his innocence through his lawyers.
The couple's two daughters are currently staying with Nancy's family who have temporary custody.
Nancy Cooper's Family Speaks Out
In their first media appearance since Nancy Cooper's body was identified, her family takes a moment to talk about their lost loved one. They declined to talk about the investigation or Brad Cooper, instead choosing to talk about their memories of the 34 year old mother of two.
Nancy's identical twin sister, Krista Lister, says she can't walk past a mirror without thinking of her sister. As she begins to tear up, Krista talks about the bond she shared with Nancy. A bond that no one else has. Krista talked with Nancy every day. Every morning on her way to work, Krista would call her sister and her niece. Krista says she will continue to talk with Nancy every day like she always did.
Nancy's father, Garry Rentz, said to the murderer, "It's an act of extreme cowardice, to rob a family of a member; to rob a child of a mother." Krista called it a very selfish act to take a life.
So far, police have named no suspects in the murder. Details of the investigation have been kept quiet, especially how Nancy Cooper actually died. The police would not answer questions at the press conference.
Brad's attorneys released a statement from Brad indicating that he is devastated by his wife's murder. He says he will do whatever it takes to cooperate with the police to find her killer. He maintains his innocence. Brad's attorneys have asked for privacy for the husband to grieve.
Who Killed Nancy Cooper?
In what is sure to be another high profile murder case, we have a dead mother of two, a husband who claims to be innocent, two motherless little girls, and a number of twists and turns that will probably take experts weeks to straighten out.
Nancy Cooper, an athletic stay at home mother who once had dreams of competing in the Olympics until a knee injury sidelined her, was 34 years old. She was first reported missing on July 12, 2008 by a friend some six to eight hours after she'd left to go jogging and didn't return. Her body was found in a construction site three miles from her home and quite a distance from her usual jogging route.
Brad Cooper, Nancy's husband was the last person to see her alive. He said she left the house at 7am to go jogging. The two had what was described as a challenging marriage. Nancy's family has accused Brad of having an extramarital affair and of being emotionally abusive. Nancy had alleged asked Brad to move out, but he refused. It is also alleged that Brad Cooper went out at 4am on July 13th to purchase bleach. This could be a key element to the case.
Nothing has been proven in court yet. As a matter of fact, Brad Cooper hasn't been named as a suspect yet, although the police search the couple's house and both of their cars, hauling out six bags of evidence. Brad Cooper also submitted DNA samples to compare with any evidence they might find. All the talk of abuse, affairs, whether Nancy even left the house that morning, and a challenging marriage have yet to be confirmed.
If anyone is interested in my opinion, and even if you're not, I'm going to give it. After following multiple stories of "challenging marriages, affairs, etc. etc., and husbands killing their wives, I'm going to say that I believe Brad Cooper did it. The old "My wife went out jogging and didn't come back" routine has been used over and over by guilty husbands trying to cover their tracks. Scott Peterson told authorities that his wife Lacy had gone out for a walk and never returned. She was eight months pregnant. Scott was later convicted of killing his wife. Or how about Mark Hacking? He shot his wife Lori to death and then told authorities that she went out for a jog and never returned. It just doesn't sound right to me.
It will be interesting to follow this case and see what the experts come up with. As of yet, the police haven't released the cause of Nancy's death. This too, will be key in the investigation.
In the meantime, Nancy's family has established a memorial fund in her name. Donations can be made to:
Nancy Cooper Memorial Fund
c/o RBC Bank
101 Advent Court
Cary, NC 27518
